I BEL IE V E IN M E
Conte: My job is only support I’ve got... and I give it everything
ANTONIO CONTE retains his confidence in his abilities – even if the Chelsea top brass are losing theirs. The under-pressure Italian heads into today’s lunchtime clash at home to Watford needing victory after three games without a win. The defending champions are nine points off Premier League leaders Manchester City. They also blew a 2-0 lead in the Champions League against Roma on Wednesday night. Conte was adamant yesterday that the title race is not over, despite City’s impressive winning streak. But he refused to confirm, on a number of occasions, that he retains the faith of the Chelsea hierarchy. He said: “The support is my job, my work. This is only my support. I know only this support in my experience. “I don’t know other support. To put all myself into the job – if this is enough, it’s OK. If it’s not enough...” Asked whether he had been backed by owner Roman Abramovich, Conte was again non-committal. He said: “I think that, about my talks with the club, it’s right to keep them secret. It’s not important to tell the press. I think, honestly, it must be in this way. This is the right way.” Conte is unhappy with the perception of him as a head coach with no interest in young players. The Italian is understood to have been overruled in his bid to sell £33million Michy Batshuayi (below) during the summer with the club preferring to loan out Tammy Abraham. Chelsea believe their rising stars need at least two seasons of regular first-team football before making it into their senior squad and have also loaned out the likes of Ruben Loftus-cheek with such a strategy in mind. Conte, though, has taken outspoken Kyle Scott, 19, under his wing after the midfielder’s fall-out with Under-23 boss Joe Edwards. A breakdown in their relationship has led to the talented youngster not playing for Edwards’ side. Conte, however, has been a big fan of Scott ever since inviting him to train with the first team. He was on the bench in midweek for the 3-3 draw with Roma. The former Italy boss has also insisted he was right to warn back in July that he was expecting his toughest-ever season, with City and United spending big to strengthen. He added: “I was a magician to anticipate it! You hope you won’t have problems in your season. “But, I repeat, I stay here to work. I stay here to put all myself into this club, for the fans and the players. Me and my staff. I’m a person who is not afraid to face the difficulties. “My history speaks very clearly on that. I fought in the relegation zone. I started my career very badly, my first experience, but I understood and learned a lot about this. “I repeat. I have experience, a lot of experience, as a player and as a coach of facing this type of situation.”