Conte selection gamble causes player unrest

Chelsea players were bemused by head coach Antonio Conte’s decision to make six changes for their mustwin game against Huddersfield Town on Wednesday.

And the feeling in the squad is that Conte blew any remote chance of forcing Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich to keep him.

There was further fallout from the 1-1 draw when the Football Association last night charged Chelsea with failing to control their players. Huddersfield secured their Premier League status, but the result left Chelsea needing a final-day shock to climb above Liverpool into the top four. They are now set for a first full Europa League campaign.

The Italian started with in-form players Olivier Giroud and Eden Hazard on the bench, with Victor Moses, captain Gary Cahill and Tiemoue Bakayoko also stepping down. Conte blamed the omission of Thibuat Courtois on a back injury, but it is understood the Belgian was unlikely to play in any case. Willy Caballero took over in goal and was partly at fault for Laurent Depoitre scoring.

Conte defended his rotation policy but some players believe he blundered by making so many changes and had been shocked when the line-up was announced.

Needing two victories to put maximum pressure on Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur, the expectation within the squad was that there would be minor changes.

One source questioned whether Barcelona or Real Madrid would rest Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo in Chelsea’s position.

The FA charge followed an incident in which referee Lee Mason was surrounded by players and coaching staff who were upset the official blew for half-time as they were preparing to take a corner.