Passion with a purpose
Exercise restraint, Blues boss Conte says ahead of Spurs London derby
CHELSEA manager Antonio Conte has called on his players not to be drawn into the sort of feuds that marred last season’s dramatic home game against London rivals Tottenham Hotspur when the teams meet in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge today.
A feisty 2-2 draw featuring nine yellow cards in May ended Tottenham’s title hopes after they had led 2-0 at half-time, bringing fines for both clubs for failing to control their players.
“Our attitude and behaviour must be perfect,” said Conte, who has occasionally sparked controversy with his own antics on the touchline.
“Every manager has a different attitude during the game but it’s important to respect opponents and fans,” he said yesterday. “I’m pushing my players to be focused. Passion is right but not in a bad way. It’s important to play good football to win the game.”
Chelsea have been doing that recently, climbing to the top of the table last weekend with six successive wins while scoring 17 goals without conceding any.
The last team to find their net were Arsenal almost 10 hours of playing time ago.
Spurs have not won at Stamford Bridge since 1990 – two years before the Premier League began – but are the last unbeaten team in the league this season with six wins and six draws.
“Tottenham can create great difficulty for any team in this league, and can fight until the end to win the title,” Conte added.
He may select an unchanged team for the sixth successive game after revealing that club captain John Terry has picked up a new injury and will be out for another two to three weeks.
In his absence, Gary Cahill, David Luiz and Cesar Azpilicueta have proved unbeatable as the three-man defence that Conte introduced following successive defeats by Liverpool and Arsenal in September.
Meanwhile, the absence of European football for Chelsea will give them a slight advantage over Spurs today, manager Mauricio Pochettino has said.
Despite being the only unbeaten team in the league, Tottenham have won only once in their last nine games in all competitions, which has led to an early exit from the Uefa Champions League and seen them drop to fifth in the Premiership.
In contrast, Chelsea, who finished 10th last campaign, are in fine form, which has seen them climb to the top of the table with 28 points after 12 matches.
“I think it is obvious and nobody can be disappointed or upset with my idea,” Pochettino told British media when asked about any potential benefit Chelsea could have gained.
“If you are a big team like Chelsea and you are not involved in European competition or cups, you have one week to prepare for a league game.
“We were playing on Tuesday and arrived late in London. We cannot have one week to prepare, so it is normal that the opponents have an advantage.
“But that is not an excuse for who wins or loses.”
Meanwhile, after numerous games at Liverpool as a visiting manager with Everton and Manchester United, David Moyes returns for the first time in charge of Sunderland today, knowing just what a hard task he faces.
The north-east club have not won at Anfield since 1983, although they have drawn their last two matches there and have enjoyed successive victories this month to lift them off the bottom of the Premier League table.
“It’s not easy to get back-toback wins when you’re at the bottom, so the players are in good spirits,” Moyes added. – Reuters