Shake off your Blues
® ANTONIO CONTE has warned Gary Cahill and Alvaro Morata not to waste time moaning about international snubs.
The Chelsea boss has told the pair to work harder in training and prove they deserve to go to the World Cup by forcing their way back into their club side.
Cahill was left out of the England squad for the friendlies against Holland and Italy, while Morata is missing from the Spain set-up to face Germany and Argentina.
Conte said: “There is only one way – to work hard and show you deserve to play. Not complain.
“It is important for us to look at our own problems and not the problems of the national team.
“There are still two months for every player to prove they deserve to go to the World Cup.”
Once the lynchpin of the Blues defence, Cahill was on the bench for his side’s Champions League defeat to Barcelona as well as the games against both Manchester clubs.
Quality
Morata, who is still struggling for match sharpness after a back injury, played only 30 minutes against Barca and has managed just 19 minutes in Chelsea’s last two league games.
But Conte revealed Cahill has already had a call from Gareth Southgate.
Conte said: “Gary is a player that, for his experience, for the quality of the player, the quality of the person, I hope to see in the national team at another World Cup.
“I think there was a chat between the player and the manager.
“This is not the final squad for the World Cup. Maybe the manager wants to find out or to try new solutions.”
Both men could start in tomorrow’s FA Cup clash at the King Power.
Morata is scoreless in his last 13 club games.
His Spain snub is all the more galling as Diego Costa, the player he replaced at Stamford Bridge, did make the cut.
Conte was also asked whether a top-four finish was more important than winning the FA Cup.
He said: “We have to try to do both. To reach the semi-final in the FA Cup it won’t be easy.
“Leicester is a good team It won’t be easy.
“Then we must try to do our best also in the league, to find a place in the Champions League.”