Antonio Conte finally admits Chelsea are out of the title race
With a disappointing loss against West Ham, Chelsea will potentially fall even further behind Manchester City. Antonio Conte has admitted that the Blues’ title defence is over.
Chelsea fans may have been thinking this for a few weeks, but hearing Antonio Conte confirm it is gutting. The Italian stated that the Blues are truly out of the Premier League title race after losing to West Ham in a disappointing display.
Speaking after the contest, Conte claimed that Chelsea’s four losses are simply too much.
"After 16 games, if you lose four it means you never got started…When you lose to Crystal Palace, who were bottom, and West Ham, who are in a bad position, you can lose points in these games but it means you are not in the title race. – chelseafc.com"
Chelsea stumbled out of the starting blocks with that loss to Burnley. In recent weeks, the Blues have found their feet and their form, stringing together an impressive run of results. With a relatively easy schedule over the festive period, fans harboured minor hope of reeling in Manchester City.
Saturday’s defeat has dashed those hopes.
The Blues were poor at the London Stadium. West Ham have shown little improvement under David Moyes and were there for the taking. However, Chelsea’s possession play was laboured and creativity was lacking. West Ham, to their credit, were resilient and solid in defence.
With a win tomorrow, Man City will move 14 points clear of the reigning champions. Chelsea supporters will be cheering Manchester United on, but a home win will not be much to celebrate. This weekend was supposed to see Conte’s men take advantage of any City slip-ups and close the gap. Instead, the eleven point deficit will be, at the least, preserved.
Conte’s comments leaves no-one in doubt as to where Chelsea’s priorities now lie. The Champions League draw is on Monday. No matter who the Blues get, expect both Conte and the players to shift their focus to those midweek games.
Weekend Premier League games may well be sacrificed in order to keep star players fresh for the European ties. Given that Chelsea are already in the quarter-finals of the League Cup, Conte will likely field a strong team in that competition too.
If anything, the Blues could turn this into a positive. The likelihood of Chelsea catching City was minute – this result means that they can now properly prioritise different games without feeling guilty.
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