‘It’s not stupid to drop hero Willian’
ANTONIO CONTE has insisted that when he leaves Willian on the bench, he is not being “stupid”.
The Brazilian has emerged as one of Chelsea’s key players over the past week, scoring two goals in the FA Cup fifth-round win over Hull and then putting on a superlative performance in the Champions League against Barcelona on Tuesday, scoring once and running the show.
But Conte has told Willian he must maintain those levels – and that when he deserves to be in his first choice team, he is in it.
Last season, when Chelsea won the title, Willian started only 15 Premier League games, coming on as a substitute 19 times. He completed only two full 90 minutes in the entire campaign.
This season the skilful, speedy forward has remained on the fringes for Conte, at least until the last week. Before the 1-1 draw against Barcelona, he had started 22 games this season, and been a substitute 18 times.
But Conte snapped: “Do you think that I am stupid when I put Willian on the bench? I have to try and make the best decision for the team, don’t I? Did we not win the title last season, or did I forget something?
“Willian is playing now, because he deserves to play. Not because there is some regret from the past. For what?
“If a player deserves to play, and shows me during the training session that he is on top of his form, and wants to work defensively, he plays. If not, he stays on the bench, stays in the stands.
“This is not only the situation for one player but for all my players. This is what a winning mentality is.
“It is not about if one player is happy or is not happy if he doesn’t play. It doesn’t matter. I have to make the best decision for the team. Willian is playing now and I am very happy with my choice. He deserved to start in the previous game, and played well. I made a fantastic choice, and I want to take credit for that.”
Conte has also tipped young Danish defender Andreas Christensen as a potential future captain of Chelsea, despite his blunder against Barcelona.
Christensen, 21, who has been a revelation this season after breaking into the team following two seasons on loan at Borussia Monchengladbach, blundered near the end of the match when his poor pass was intercepted to allow Lionel Messi to level in the 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge.
But Conte insisted: “I have forgotten this mistake. When you are a player, you can make a lot of mistakes in your career.
“If I had to talk about all the mistakes I made in my career, we’d have to be here all day.
“It doesn’t matter. Christensen is having a fantastic season and showing great maturity. For me, apart from the mistake, his performance great, was wonderful.
“I have a lot of trust in Andreas. This player is a player for the present for Chelsea, but also for Chelsea’s future for 10 or 12 years. He can become the captain of this team in the future.”
Conte, whose team face top-four rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford tomorrow, said: “This is a massive game, a game to try and find a place in the Champions League, an important game for us and for them. We have to try and get three points.” was