Chelsea manager’s record in derbies a concern with Crystal Palace next

Antonio Conte has set records in the Premier League, but he has one black mark on his portfolio. London derbies have not been kind to the Italian.

If there is one notable tripping point for Antonio Conte’s Chelsea, it is London derbies. For whatever reason, the Blues have struggled in the city since Conte took over. With Crystal Palace next and Tottenham Hotspur on the horizon, that will be a concern for the club.

There are currently four other London clubs in the Premier League: Arsenal, West Ham, Spurs and Palace. During Conte’s tenure, Chelsea have also played Brentford in the FA Cup. That was a routine win.

Arsenal represent the greatest difficulty for Conte (and thankfully one that is over for the season). In seven competitive matches against the Gunners, Chelsea have won once. The remaining six results are bleak. Two home draws, a draw away, two away losses and a neutral ground loss make for bleak reading. For a club that so routinely had Arsenal’s number for years, that is a painful drop off.

West Ham is the farthest away derby at the moment. Luckily for Conte and Chelsea, it is at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea have only played the Hammers once at the Bridge under Conte in his first competitive match as manager. The other three matches have been in the London Stadium where Chelsea were embarrassed twice and left with three points just once.

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One of the most win matches of the season is against Spurs. Conte’s record against them is perhaps the most favorable of any derby. The only loss against Spurs came at the start of 2017. Every other match has been a win: once at home, once away, and once on neutral ground.

But the next match is the one that focus should be drawn to. For whatever reason, Palace have proven tricky for Chelsea under Conte. In three games, the Blues have lost twice and won just once. To add salt to the wound, losses against Palace often come when they are in terrible form. Unfortunately for Conte, they are in terrible form right now.

Overall, Conte’s London derby record comes to seven wins (not including the victory over Brentford), three draws and eight losses. That record is simply not good enough for the team that, on paper, is the best in London. That only four of the losses are against Arsenal and Spurs makes the record even more painful.

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This is something Chelsea and Conte will worry about as they host Palace. On paper, the Blues should have a routine win. In practice, however, nothing about London derbies has been routine under Conte. They will have to overcome their own demons to keep their top four hopes alive.