Antonio Conte attributes Victor Moses’ second yellow card to end-of-season fatigue rather than any dishonest intent. Conte says he and is players are ready for a well-deserved rest.
Antonio Conte, unlike other recent Chelsea managers, is a firm adherent of the “praise in public, scold in private” theory of management. Rather than publicly shaming Victor Moses or blaming referee Anthony Taylor, Conte chalked up Moses’ second yellow to tiredness and pressure.
Moses’ attempt to draw a penalty from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was laughably transparent (well, laughably for anyone not wearing Blue). Taylor’s call was straight-forward and far less controversial than his handball and offsides non-calls leading to Alexis Sanchez’s goal. Still, Antonio Conte refused to call out Victor Moses in front of the world.
"There is a lot of tension in these moments and sometimes you could be tired. I don’t think if my player dived he did it with a real intention of doing it. We have arrived at the end of the season and many players are tired, and then there is a lot of pressure… Moses is an honest player and if he did this it’s only because he was tired. He didn’t want to cheat the referee. – Chelsea FC"
Fatigue and pressure are very real, and have a very real impact on players, particularly on the last day of the season. However, neither excuse Moses’ dive. And neither are what Antonio Conte probably believes.
Conte came to Chelsea with a reputation as an occasional behind-closed-doors flame-thrower (see: Buffon, Gianluigi). Whether he thought this incident was worth lighting up Moses is between Conte and his wing-back.
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What matters is how deftly Antonio Conte once again managed his player, the public and the expectations. He stood between his player and the opprobrium of the press and the disappointment of the fans. As a leader he is a heat shield as much as a heat source.
For a man so passionate on the touchlines – and in every aspect of the game – Antonio Conte never allows that to boil over into casting his own players into disrepute. He makes the players look as good off the pitch as he makes them look on the pitch, perhaps to the disappointment of clickbait headline writers.
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Conte said he will take “three days” with his family before returning to work. He and his players deserve more, and the squad will likely take much more. For Il Sarto, though, more than three days away is probably a punishment rather than a vacation.