LONDON: Chelsea have been told to buck up their ideas or face a season without silverware — that was the message dished out by under-fire boss Antonio Conte after the side’s 3-0 defeat by Roma in the Champions League.
The West Londoners went into the clash on the back of some, at best, patchy form and results. They have been struggling against teams they brushed aside with ease last season, and recent wins over Bournemouth and Watford left as many questions as they served up answers.
And on a night of horror in the Italian capital the fact that this is not the same side as the one that ultimately strolled to last season’s Premier League title was laid bare.
The Blues went a goal down after 38 seconds, the first of a Stephan El-Shaarawy double. The Egyptian made it 2-0 after 36 minutes when ex-Roma defender Antonio Rudiger failed to control Radja Nainggolan’s long ball. Argentine Diego Perotti scored the third midway through the second half, before missing a chance for a fourth.
That left Conte not only fuming and questioning his players’ desire, but also staring the possible sack in the face.
“We must find the hunger we showed all of last season, and sometimes this season. But this season has been up and down. We need to find consistency,” the Italian boss said.
“Roma proved to have more hunger, more desire, more will to fight and to beat us. We lacked everything,” he complained.
“If we think because our name is Chelsea the opponent is fearful, this is not the right way. We must have a great desire in every game.”
Just four months ago Conte’s stock was sky-high. The Blues had just marched to the Premier League title, winning with a margin of seven points to second-placed Tottenham. And while they lost wantaway striker Diego Costa, it was assumed that the squad would be able to mount the double challenge of domestic and European glory.
The fact that they already lie nine points behind Manchester City in the league alongside the Roma result, which came on the back of a surprise 3-3 draw against the same opponents two weeks ago, has, for some, led to yet another crisis at Stamford Bridge.
“What I am most disappointed about is the performance in the second-half. I believe in the first-half we played well,” Conte continued.
“We then created many chances but we weren’t clinical or ruthless enough to convert them.
“There is great disappointment about our second-half, because I didn’t see positive things. It was really bad for a team like us.”
While there is a sense of unease at Chelsea, Atletico Madrid’s shock 1-1 draw at home to Qarabag means they only need victory in their next Champions League match, away at the Azerbaijan outfit, to progress to the knockout stages.
Crisis time for Conte
Crisis time for Conte
