EVERTON v CHELSEA STAYIN’ ALIVE
Conte lets his stars use music to keep Blues title push on track MORGAN WOWED BY SPURS
ANTONIO CONTE has told his blue warriors to pump up the volume and keep their title bid staying alive.
The Italian still finds the ‘boom, boom, boom’ culture of English dressing- room music quite s t r ange, compared to what he was used to in his homeland.
But if it fires up his players to be in the right state of mind, then they have his blessing to play whatever they like.
Conte, whose side face Everton at Goodison Park today, said: “I always found it very strange when I first arrived and heard the music at high volume in the dressing room.
“I always thought that before the game you should be focused, no? And I thought silence would help to find the focus.
“The music at Chelsea is always different but, for sure, it’s not classical music.
“I would like to listen to disco music before the game, or pop music, but it’s impossible for me to bring my favourite music to the changing room.
“The sounds I like depend on different moments.
“When I stay relaxed, I prefer Italian music. We have a lot of great singers.
“But when I am excited, I prefer pop music.” Conte’s compatriot Andrea Bocelli famously performed Nessun Dorma and Time To Say Goodbye at the King Power Stadium as Leicester City celebrated their title triumph a year ago.
Conte added: “Bocelli is a great singer and I watched during the celebrations when Claudio Ranieri invited him to sing for Leicester.
“Who would I invite? We have to win first.”
To do that, Conte’s men need 12 points from five games, although that number will be less if second-placed Tottenham drop points.
Personality
And the Blues boss wants his players to show their warrior spirit to get the job done.
He added: “In this part of the season, it’s very important to have players with good personality, with strong characters, because you must be ready to face a different situation.
“In the team, we have a lot of warriors and I work every day to make them warriors.
“It’s great to have talent, but I like it when you are a warrior during the game and, above all, if players with talent show they work hard during the game.”
The way Chelsea responded to their 2-0 loss to Manchester United a fortnight ago, beating Spurs in the FA Cup semi-final and Southampton in the League, suggests they have the mentality their boss is demanding.
He said: “After the United defeat, it wasn’t easy to face this type of moment because we had only a four-point lead and then we had to play a semi-final against Spurs, our opponents in the League, after this game.
“We then had to play two and a half days later against Southampton, a t eam who had rested for 10 days.
“I considered this week crucial, to get to the FA Cup Final and for the League.
“We had to be good to keep these points ahead of Tottenham and we had to face them to reach the Final.
“So t his was a good answer from my players, but i t ’s important to defend the right way at Everton as the crucial week is not over yet.” My Terry Amour Stevie Wonder Running Up That Cahill Kate Bush Luiz Luiz The Kingsmen Batshuayi I Like It KC & Sunshine Band Kante Stop Me Now Rod Stewart Cesc On Fire Kings of Leon Good Year for the Moses Elvis Costello Who’s Zouma Who Aretha Franklin Ain’t Too Proud to Begovic Temptations Alonso Again (Naturally) Gilbert O’Sullivan Eden Must be Missing anAngel Tavares We Are The Champions Queen MORGAN SCHNEIDERLIN reckons only one team have the “wow” factor in the Premier League this season – and it’s not Chelsea.
The midfield star has been captivated by a Tottenham side impressively managed by Mauricio Pochettino.
And he will be more than happy to do his old Saints boss a favour against Antonio Conte’s men at Goodison Park today.
Schneiderlin counts Pochettino as a major influence on his career during their time together at Southampton.
The Frenchman said: “Pochettino is someone who changed my position of how I see football and looked at myself.
“What he is doing as a manager with Tottenham is amazing. When I watch Tottenham play, I just say ‘wow’. It’s very entertaining.
“I haven’t played against Chelsea this season, but Tottenham are the most impressive team I’ve played against. They play the more attractive football. Mauricio is someone who deserves it, he works very hard for it.”
Schneiderlin’s priority is a win to help Everton’s end-of-season momentum – but he knows Ronald Koeman’s stars can have an impact on the title race.
“You don’t need to be good at maths to know that if Spurs win and we beat Chelsea, it’s down to one point,” he said. “For us it is just about winning the game and doing our business to get a good platform for next season.”