During his time at Juventus, Simone Pepe played under the guidance of Luigi Delneri, Antonio Conte and Max Allegri.
Nonetheless, the winger’s most significant contribution certainly came during Conte’s reign between 2011 and 2014, especially in the first campaign.
The 40-year-old was an integral part of the squad back then, and the fans appreciated his hardworking demeanor and desire to leave it all on the pitch.
Pepe obviously still has fond memories of Conte, even if the latter was vicious in training sessions.
The retired winger says the Lecce native was already a step ahead of everyone else following his appointment in 2011 as he was all too familiar with the club’s atmosphere.
“The coach knew the Juventus environment with all its dynamics, he was already a step ahead of everyone as soon as he arrived,” said the former Udinese player in an interview with Bianconeranews via JuveNews.
“This gave us even more mental strength following a tough campaign [under Delneri].”
Pepe dwelled on the manager’s rigid training regime which almost pushes the players to their breaking point.
“Everything else about that triumphant season was thanks to his extraordinary preparation which changed the way of working but above of seeing fatigue.
“At the end of training, we were destroyed, but that was an added value of the coach. He gave us devastating physical strength.
“There wasn’t one specific training session that broke your back, because he broke us in training all week!”
Pepe joined Juventus in 2010, making the switch from Udinese. In 2015, he signed for Chievo Verona on a free transfer. He hung up his boots in 2017 following a brief experience at Pescara.
