Chelsea running on empty, admits Conte
LONDON: Antonio Conte believes Chelsea’s gruelling schedule and a lack of squad depth are to blame for the champions’ recent struggles.
Conte’s side lacked energy and drive as they were forced to settle for a dour 0- 0 draw against 10-man Leicester at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
For the first time in the club’s history, Chelsea have endured three successive goalless draws after an FA Cup stalemate at Norwich and a League Cup blank against Arsenal.
Even the 68th minute dismissal of Leicester defender Ben Chilwell for two bookings in quick succession couldn’t lift lethargic Chelsea, who were out-played in the first half and couldn’t make their numerical advantage count at the end of the second period.
With an FA Cup replay against Norwich looming in midweek, Blues boss Conte is concerned by the signs of fatigue following the draining Christmas and New Year fixture pile-up.
“We played with tiredness. We suffered a lot in the first half and at the start of the second half,” Conte said.
“We played a lot of effort against Arsenal on Wednesday, then to play a really good team in good physical form like Leicester was difficult.
“We played with almost the same players as against Arsenal. I saw a lot of players very tired. I saw Eden ( Hazard) was very tired so he came off.
“When I decided to put fresh energy on with Willian and Pedro, the game changed. We created chances to score but at the end the result was fair.”
Conte hinted Chelsea’s energy levels are af fecting results because he doesn’t have the quality players in reserve to keep his team fresh and performing at a high level.
The Italian has spent much of the season grumbling about the lack of signings made by the club’s hierarchy since he led Chelsea to the title last season.
“I’m doing rotations. Against Norwich I made nine changes, against Arsenal I made 10 changes,” he said.
“To face all competitions is not simple. You must have a big squad to do this, otherwise you take risks to lose against teams like Leicester.”