Conte ’ s real Special Won
IMPRESSIVE BLUES BOSS ON BRINK OF HISTORY SADASDASDASDASDASDAS DASD-
Tew. eurk: @peoplesport ANTONIO CONTE will hammer home every manager’s favourite saying about taking things one game at a time over the course of the coming days and weeks. But, for Chelsea fans, it will be almost impossible not to lump their next four Premier League games together after their chance to record another piece of history swung into view.
Beat Bournemouth on Monday, Stoke on New Year’s Eve and Tottenham, at White Hart Lane on January 4, and the Blues will match Arsenal’s Premier League record of 14 straight victories.
The Gunners set that mark in 2002, when they ended the 2001-02 season with 13 wins and then opened up the following campaign with a victory. Chelsea’s 11 on the spin is already a record in a single season and, should they manage to draw level with Arsene Wenger’s men and then see off defending champions Leicester after the third round of the FA Cup, the record outright will be theirs.
They have conceded just two goals in those 11 games and scored 25, with striker Diego Costa, who will be suspended for the visit of Bournemouth, their talisman.
But there have been some fine performances all over the park, with each line working well on its own and in unison with those around it.
Conte and his players deserve much credit for that – he has drilled them hard on the 3-4-3 formation since their thumping at Arsenal and they have put the graft in. Manchester United, Manchester City and Tottenham were all beaten in that period and Everton were thumped.
But every bit as satisfying for Conte will have been the last three results – all hard-fought 1-0 wins against West Brom, Sunderland and Crystal Palace.
Pragmatist
Chelsea – 15th a year ago today – are showing the sort of form that wins titles, but pragmatist Conte will remind his side Arsenal were top for new year 2016, however, Leicester still beat them to the Chelsea will battle with Bayern Munich for 21-year-old central defender Niklas Sule. Sule is valued at £25million by his club Hoffenheim. He is regarded as one of the rising stars of German football and has already been capped by his country. title. The visit of Bournemouth will provide another test for them and the battle between Cesc Fabregas and Jack Wilshere will be fascinating.
Fabregas (above) will almost certainly start, with N’Golo Kante, like Costa, suspended after he picked up a fifth booking last weekend at Palace.
And Fa b r e g a s , who deserves praise for how he has performed, despite not starting, will go head-to-head with his ex-Gunners pal.
Not only will it be a test for Fabregas, it will be even bigger for Wilshere as he also comes up against Nemanja Matic, another who has returned to blistering form. Fabregas will not have Costa to pick out with his passes, but, whether Conte goes for Michy Batshuayi or plays Eden Hazard or Pedro as a false nine, he will have options. And Bournemouth will face a serious challenge as the blue juggernaut looks to roll on. Jose Mourinho’s book: A Guide To Man-Management