DAY Lack of ambition shames Conte & Chelsea

THERE was a moment, early in the second-half, that summed up Chelsea’s current miserable plight.

The visitors broke on the counter-attack, and Victor Moses (below) found himself with a clear sight of Manchester City’s goal, but skewed his angled effort wide of the target.

Chelsea boss Antonio Conte, whose touchline repertoire is usually full of histrionics and overzealous gestures, did not even react. He just stared impassively at the floor and turned back towards his bench.

It was as if Conte (above), who is set to leave Chelsea this summer, had already given up. His players certainly gave that impression, their lack of ambition an embarrassment to their status as reigning champions.

A fourth defeat in five Premier League games for the west Londoners means they remain five points off fourth-placed Tottenham, and in danger of missing out on a Champions League spot for only the second time in 16 years.

They are 19 points worse off than they were at this stage last season, when they were en route to winning the title in Conte’s first term, and have a solitary away win in all competitions since December 12.

Conte, whose side failed to register a shot on target, set them up to frustrate

City, hoping to hit them on the counter-attack, using the pace of Willian, Pedro and Eden Hazard, preferred to

Alvaro Morata up front.

But

Hazard was isolated throughout and blanked Conte when he was subbed in the 90th minute for Morata, the £60million summer signing who has clearly lost the trust of his boss.

But while Chelsea avoided being buried under an avalanche of goals, a fate that has befallen many teams at the Etihad this season, their inhibited display killed the game as a contest.

With five of their last nine Premier League games at home and no top-six opponents on their travels, there is still time for Chelsea to recover, although their current form suggests otherwise.

Conte takes his side to Barcelona a week on Wednesday for the second leg of their last-16 Champions League tie, having drawn 1-1 at Stamford Bridge.

Failure to progress there, a likely scenario given the respective form of both sides, would hasten the manager’s exit, which inches closer with every backward step this season.