Antonio Conte made his priorities clear in his pre-match press conference. He wants a Premier League title, and is drilling his players to maintain the necessary focus.
Antonio Conte showed that he is always focused on the long game in his press conference ahead of tomorrow’s fixture at Middlesbrough. Not content to merely win battles, Conte wants his first trophy in England. “I love to win the war,” the skipper said.
At the Riverside Stadium tomorrow, Chelsea face a Middlesbrough team that is in a three-way tie for 15th place. Conte knows the danger that complacency can pose to a team in Chelsea’s position.
"In this situation, it’s important to keep the concentration very high. It’s normal that the focus, the concentration, is a bit low in this situation. We are working, we are working these days to avoid this. – Telegraph"
The Blues are one point off the top of the table, returning from the international break and have two monstrous clashes looming. It would be easy for them to breezily dismiss newly-promoted Boro at their peril.
Eden Hazard is probably dreaming about slaying the Hotspurs yet again. Antonio Conte’s mind is surely spinning at the strategists’ nirvana that will be his match with Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.
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But Conte also knows that he must set all those thoughts aside – his and his players’ – to focus on defeating Aitor Karanka’s much less glamourous but dangerous in their own way Middlesbrough. Middlesbrough held Arsenal to a 0-0 draw, and shattered City’s hopes of an easy win with a late equalizer for 1-1.
Antonio Conte can not and will not allow that to happen to his Chelsea side. Aside from the three points, Chelsea needs all the positivity and momentum they can muster for the Tottenham and Manchester City matches.
"I’m worried, I’m worried to keep this concentration. I’m worried to keep that high intensity and right spirit in training. That’s the most important thing. When you win five or six in a row, that’s what you think about."
One of the many reversals under the 3-4-3 is Chelsea’s new-found habit of taking the lead early. Chelsea scored within the first 10 minutes in three of their last four games. In that remaining game, against Everton, despite the “late” start they were up 2-0 within 20 minutes.
In each of those games, Chelsea pressed aggressively for the full 90 minutes, even with the early lead. Even against Manchester United and Everton, when the game was well in hand by half time, Chelsea was still driving, shooting and pressing until the final whistle.
The combination of the early goal and the full-game offense will be key for Chelsea against Middlesbrough. Chelsea’s within-game mentality is the perfect vaccine against any between-game complacency.
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Antonio Conte purged any notions of parking the bus and winding down the clock from his Blues. If they can score early and maintain the pressure on Middlesbrough, they will have the three points and everything they need to return home for a cracker of a London derby.