Daily Mail

This was the day that Conte ran out of ideas

- MY VERDICT CHRIS SUTTON

In a must-win game against bitter rivals, Chelsea were utterly outclassed. From the moment Tottenham got their noses in front, there was only going to be one winner. Chelsea failed to have a shot on target in the second half, but Antonio Conte waited until the 81st minute to bring on a substitute to try to change the game. This was the day that he seemed to have run out of ideas. Was he trying to make another point to Roman Abramovich that he does not have the squad depth to compete? If so, he picked completely the wrong time to protest. Chelsea are a shadow of last season’s champions. From being the master tactician who took the Premier League by storm with three at the back, Conte has now seen opponents find a way to beat his team nine times this season. I have sympathy for the Italian. He is an infectious character and the Chelsea fans have stuck by him. He is a proud man and, while a top-four spot looks almost impossible now, the FA Cup presents an opportunit­y to go out on a high. But what will be most worrying for Conte was his team’s lack of fight. When Chelsea have had their backs to the wall, such as against Barcelona in the Champions League, they have still had a bit about them. To lose in this manner against Tottenham suggests that Conte’s era is coming to a disappoint­ing end. Conte said he did not want a ‘Mourinho season’. He is not far off.

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