PL: the big kick-off
CHELSEA manager Antonio Conte is concerned about his alarmingly small squad as the Blues look to avoid the failures of previous Premier League champions in defending their title.
Conte’s first season as manager was a smashing success as the Blues lifted the trophy for a fifth time.
But a summer in which more players have gone out than come in has the Italian concerned before today’s season opener against Burnley.
“For me, it will be the most difficult season of my career,” he said.
“In England the pressure is high. This league is the strongest in the world.
“You have six teams ready to fight for the title and only one wins it. You want to fight until the end for the title, but it won’t be easy.”
After winning the league in 2014/15, Chelsea were strong favourites to retain their title only to flounder as Jose Mourinho was sacked en route to a 10th-place finish.
Last season, Claudio Ranieri was fired halfway through the season as his Leicester City side were unable to duplicate the form that brought them a miracle league win in 2015/16. They finished 12th under new manager Craig Shakespeare.
Poor starts doomed those sides and N’Golo Kante – a champion with Leicester two seasons ago and with Chelsea last year – knows the London side must hit the ground running.
“It’s going to be tough because a lot of teams have strengthened, which makes it more difficult,” the midfielder said.
Club legend John Terry and Nemanja Matic were the big names among the more than 20 players on the first-team books to leave Stamford Bridge this summer.
That list is sure to grow with the expected departure of top scorer Diego Costa.
While Chelsea have spent about £126 million on Alvaro Morata, Antonio Ruediger and Timeoue Bakayoko, and also brought in Willy Caballero on a free transfer, Conte still questions the depth of his squad.
“For us, it’s very important to improve our squad in terms of the numerical aspect because we have a small squad,” he said.
“Only one player is not enough to improve our team, we need more.
“They are trying to do the best for our team and our squad.
“Now we have to wait and have patience.”
Defender Gary Cahill echoed his boss’s feelings after seeing the programme for last weekend’s Community Shield match, which listed 41 Arsenal players compared with just 24 for Chelsea.
“The back of the programme was interesting today,” the club’s new captain said after the Blues fell in a penalty shoot-out.
“But in terms of quality we’ve certainly got that and you just have to hope we don’t have too many injuries.
“Obviously the new players that have just come in, they’re going to be vitally important for us and the quicker they settle, the better.
“We’ll see how that plays out, but we just have to keep everybody fit, keep everybody sharp.
“Rest is going to be important because we’re going to have a lot of games.”
Mindful of the demands of competing at home and abroad, Conte has sought to stiffen his team’s spine, bringing in a new centre forward, central midfielder and central defender.
A lot of responsibility will fall on striker Alvaro Morata, signed for £58 m from Real Madrid. He will fill the void left by Diego Costa who was told by Conte that he no longer had a place at Chelsea after a row at the start of 2017. While Costa’s lack of discipline on and off the pitch was frustrating for both Conte and Mourinho, he was central to Chelsea’s title victories in 2015 and 2017 and scored 52 goals in 89 league appearances in his three years in London.
Conte had targeted former Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku as the ideal replacement for Costa with his proven record as a powerful Premier League goalscorer during his years at Everton.
But Lukaku was snatched away to Manchester United by Mourinho, forcing Chelsea to gamble on Morata who has shone for Madrid and for Juventus but who has yet to be tested in the hurly-burly of the English league.
Conte will also be hoping that another of his big summer signings – French midfielder Tiemoue Bayakoko, bought for a reported £40m from Monaco – will find his feet quickly in England.
Bayakoko is expected to take the place of Nemanja Matic, whose strength helped Chelsea to give a free rein to their attack-minded midfielders such as Eden Hazard, Pedro and Willian.
Matic has signed for Manchester United.
The third of Chelsea’s big summer signings – defender Antonio Rudiger – will also be discovering the physical demands of English football for the first time as he arrives from Roma.
In a sign that Conte is aware of the risk that his new recruits might not settle quickly in England, newspapers have said he is still hoping to sign three or four British-based players before the transfer window closes. – ANADPA & Reuters