Antonio Conte wins third consecutive manager of the month award
By George Perry
Antonio Conte became the first manager to win three consecutive Premier League manager of the month awards. Six wins in December will do that.
Antonio Conte added another of those multi-colored rectangle-shaped boxes to his trophy case today. He once again bested his peers – notably Jurgen Klopp and Mauricio Pochettino – to secure manager of the month honors from the Premier League.
Chelsea extended their winning streak to 13 in December, tying a Premier League process in the record. The month started with the massive victory over Manchester City and wrapped up with the win over Stoke. Chelsea out-scored their opponents 13-3 in in December.
Conte highlighted the win over West Bromwich Albion as the game that most stood out. The Blues won 1-0 on a late goal by Diego Costa.
"If I had to pick out one game I would choose West Brom, because it was very tough and we scored with 15 minutes remaining. My players showed me great character and a strong will to win right until the end that day, which I always like to see. – Chelsea FC"
Antonio Conte was the only Chelsea man to earn a Premier League award in December. Chelsea swept the awards the last two months, with Eden Hazard, Pedro and Diego Costa divvying up the trophies. Manchester United landed the other awards for December. Henrikh Mkhitaryan won the goal of the month, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic won player of the month.
The Premier League award voters were probably relieved when Chelsea lost to Tottenham to start January. As long as Conte and Chelsea continued winning, it became nearly impossible to deny Conte additional trophies. The defeat gives a convenient rationale to let another manager take home the monthly award for January.
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Chelsea will look to start another Premier League win streak tomorrow against Leicester City. The reigning manager of the month is strongly favoured over the reigning Premier League champions. No doubt the crown weighs heavy on Leicester City, and Antonio Conte will continue his pursuit of winning the Premier League’s ultimate prize.