WE’RE ON THE ROME STRAIGHT
Three wins on the spin have lifted the gloom for Conte
ANTONIO CONTE believes his Chelsea juggernaut is gaining momentum at the perfect time.
The Blues have returned to form and key players have returned to fitness ahead of a pivotal week.
The champions face Roma tonight and Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on Sunday – two games which could shape their season.
Key midfielder N’golo Kante is fit again and ready to follow Eden Hazard, Danny Drinkwater and Pedro back into the side.
Since throwing away a 2-0 lead to draw 3-3 with Roma two weeks ago, Chelsea have won three matches in a row.
Conte has also been lifted by comments from £58million striker Alvaro Morata, who shot down rumours that he was unhappy in London.
For Conte the gloom that descended when they lost at home to Manchester City in late September has now disappeared.
“Before the Roma game, we’d lost a couple of games. Now we’ve won three in a row,” said Conte. “It’s important for us to overcome this sensitive stage of the season.
“But whenever you are playing seven games in 21 days, you don’t sort problems out overnight.
“We’ve faced this situation since the beginning of the season and I hope it ends soon. We had three injuries, two of which have now recov- ered. Victor Moses (hamstring) will take more time. But Hazard’s ankle is fine, and Pedro’s fractured face is fine.”
Morata had scored seven goals in seven Premier League games before injuring a hamstring in that City game on September 30. Since returning to action in the first match against Roma he has yet to score.
Blues fans feared a repeat of the Diego Costa saga when stories broke that the Spaniard was unsettled in London.
But the former Juventus and Real Madrid star yesterday claimed his future is at Stamford Bridge. “If Chelsea asked me to stay 10 years I’d probably sign,” he said.
“I’m happy with this club, with this city, with everything in London.
“I really like London and, if I improve, maybe I can stay here more than five years. But I need to score many goals otherwise Chelsea will buy another player!”
Conte also stressed that he was happy in London after appearing to send out distress signals last season.
“Last season I was alone without my family. When you work abroad, working with a lot of pressure, it’s good to have your family with you,” he said.
“But this season I’ve solved this problem because my family are with me.
“We are enjoying London, enjoying this league. It’s a fantastic experience for me, for every single player who decides to have this fantastic experience in a really tough league.” ROMA CHELSEA TV TIMES: Live on BT Sport 2 from 7pm