The Napoli manager revealed that he agreed to then Blues’ captain Terry’s request to ease the intensity of training sessions.
However, after losing the next two games, he decided to stay firm, a stance he maintains to this day.
He also noted that former Juventus teammates Zinedine Zidane and Alessandro Del Piero “trained much harder” than the Chelsea squad that won the 2017 Premier League title.
"One time, the Chelsea captain (Terry) came to me to ask to slow down the pace (of training), to do fewer video sessions,” Conte told Corriere della Sera.
“I agreed, mainly out of respect to their culture, their different way of approaching football. When you're in a different country, you have to be careful to not cause too much upset. Well, we lost two games in a row and I risked being sacked.
“Since then, I always think that if I have to 'die' as a result of the choices that have been made, I have to do it my way, and not in the hands of others. This is the way. 'Trust the process' as they say in England.
“And when I think back to how tough training was, I smile. Zidane and Del Piero trained much harder. Today, we do about a third of what we used to do. The work has to be linked to the results on the pitch.
“I've coached teams where after a little while, the players themselves began to identify dangerous situations. For me, that means that we've achieved the right result."