Conte fires Wembley warning blast

the Blues’ shock opening day home defeat by Burnley.

He added: “I think to have this type of game at the start of the season could be positive but at the same time it could also be negative. It depends on the situation.

“I remember last season when Manchester United faced Manchester City. They played early in the league and both fell away.”

Chelsea splashed out £58million for Alvaro Morata this summer to reinforce their title defence, yet Conte has mystified fans by leaving him on the bench.

Many believe that, for the price paid, he should be up and running already.

Conte said: “Morata is ready to start the game, yes, but I repeat he needs to improve his physical condition and he needs a bit of time to reach the top – but he is in contention for the game.

“Morata is a young player. He can stay at this club for many years and become a fantastic striker for this club.

“I recently said that I have admiration for Harry Kane but that is normal. It doesn’t mean that I don’t like my players.

“My only intention was to underline the great job Mauricio Pochettino is doing. Kane was not a great player before he arrived.

“How much money did we pay for Morata? It could be a good price in this transfer market. If you remember Morata did not play regularly with Real Madrid last season because he was behind Benzema.

“Usually when you don’t play regularly you lose your performance and sometimes your quality in your physical condition.

“You need a bit of time to recover this. We want Morata to play regularly for Chelsea. But my choices don’t depend on the cost.

“We can spend a lot of money for one player then I can put him on the bench because I see he is not ready. There is no reason yet for him to start a game. The most important thing is to have the confidence of the coach, the club and the team-mates.”