HAZARDOUS TIMES FOR CONTE

IF ANTONIO CONTE retains genuine aspirations to survive beyond this season at Stamford Bridge, then this is the week to prove he has what it takes to breathe renewed vigour into Chelsea’s performances. For Conte, whose team visit Roma tomorrow and host Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United on Sunday, this win was another blanket over the flames that continue to engulf the early months of his second season in England. There has now been rancour with the club hierarchy over transfers, unrest among his own players and last week it was the media’s turn to feel the burn. Chelsea may be winning again, but Conte appears to be a man whose fuse will ignite in a split second. As ever, he was frenetic on the touchline. He screwed up his face as Chelsea spurned chance after chance in the first half, then barked incessantly as Chelsea rode out late pressure. The worry lines seem more pronounced on Eddie Howe’s brow these days, with his side 19th and also the second lowest scorers in the Premier League. A shot on target did not arrive until Steve Cook’s strike late in stoppage time. So it is hard to get too excited about talk of a Chelsea renaissance. There is still the nagging sense that the spark of last season has burned out. Chelsea’s play feels predictable this time around and they have too often appeared vulnerable to teams that press hard and get on the front foot. Teams as varied as Burnley, Manchester City, Crystal Palace, Watford and Roma have unsettled Conte’s side and with Chelsea nine points off the pace at the top, the club already wear the look of a team treading water this season. While Eden Hazard (left) scored his first goal in the Premier League this season to win the game, Conte will know that a better team than Bournemouth would have punished Chelsea’s profligacy. ‘We must kill the game,’ said the Chelsea boss. ‘If you are keeping it in the balance you risk a draw.’