Conte: My pal Vialli is wrong about me
ANTONIO CONTE has dismissed claims by his ‘friend’ and former Juventus captain Gianluca Vialli that he cannot wait to leave Chelsea.
Former Blues boss Vialli had suggested Conte was disillusioned with a lack of influence over transfers. But speaking ahead of tomorrow’s match with West Ham at Stamford Bridge, Conte insisted: ‘It is not true. Gianluca is a friend but I am not talking with him for one year, maybe. It is not true.
‘We played together for many years at Juventus, he was my captain, we won the Champions League together and I consider him a friend. With Gianluca we went once to dinner last season then I stopped. The people who stay very close to me know very well my intentions — to stay here, to continue my job here.
‘Those who know me very well know that I am very angry. I am very sad for this situation.’
Chelsea are fifth in the Premier League, eight points behind Tottenham in fourth. By the time they face West Ham, they could be 11 adrift.
Hammers manager David Moyes, meanwhile, has adopted a policy of tough love to bring out the best in Marko Arnautovic.
Arnautovic has emerged as the key figure in West Ham’s battle to avoid relegation, with nine goals in his last 13 league games, and Moyes has challenged the 28-yearold to reach the next level.
‘He didn’t have much confidence when I arrived in November,’ said Moyes. ‘He has a great ability, he is powerful, quick, got a level of arrogance and self-belief on the pitch. There is another bit to go where, if you’ve got that, you need to show everybody at the club that this is the standard you have to be at.
‘That’s why he gets a bit of tough love from me. I’m nearly always giving him a back-handed compliment because I’m wanting to keep him grounded and wanting more. He can get even better if he allows people like the coaches in and allows himself to be worked on.’