After a poor start to their title defence, Chelsea boss Antonio Conte is asking for time to build a foundation on the back of a ‘lucky’ Premier League success.
Chelsea fans are confused and frustrated at the moment. Having cantered to the Premier League title last season, the club did little in the transfer window to prepare appropriately for their defence. They opened with a shock loss and now Antonio Conte is getting all philosophical.
Comparing the Blues to Sunday’s opponents, Tottenham Hotspur, Conte stated that Mauricio Pochettino has a better foundation for prolonged success.
"Pocehttino [sic] has had the possibility to work for three years with the same players and have the possibility every season to improve his foundations…Last season we won the League and reached the final of the FA Cup with only 13 regular players. We were lucky to not have injuries. There wasn’t this basis. – The Telegraph"
The Blues took advantage of their light schedule last season. Playing one game per week, Conte was able to trot out largely the same starting eleven each time. They suffered few injuries and thus eased their way to the title.
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This season is different and the lack of foundation will cause some struggles. However, the frustrating thing is that Chelsea officials have not made an effort to strengthen that foundation over the summer.
The Blues have signed four players, but they have loaned out or sold many more. It is bizarre to think a club that has spent around £150 million are in fact weaker than they were previously. But that is the case with Chelsea.
Conte talks about the three seasons Pochettino has used to build Spurs. Chelsea, though, already had the foundation. Last season’s title, whether it was lucky or not, proved that the core for success is there. The Blues only needed to add to their squad to prepare for even more silverware this term.
Instead, Nemanja Matic, Nathan Ake and Nathaniel Chalobah were sold while the likes of Kurt Zouma were loaned. The foundations were eroded away during the summer.
Conte is trying his best to keep expectations in check, but Chelsea fans will see through this. The boss has been left with a depleted box of tools and anything that doesn’t point to the baffling summer transfer activity is just an excuse.
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What do you think? Is Conte making a fair point? Or is this just nonsense masking the summer fiasco? Let us know in the comments below!