Chelsea boss Antonio Conte demanding more despite trouncing Manchester United 4-0 at the weekend with West Ham in the EFL Cup next up
The Blues are in fine form with three wins in three and nine goals scored as they prepare to face West Ham in the EFL Cup
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ANTONIO CONTE revelled in the moment.
Of course he did.
Putting Jose Mourinho and Manchester United to the sword was exactly what the Chelsea boss wanted to send out a statement of intent.
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Doing it with his preferred 3-4-3 system, and winding up the Portuguese former hero of Stamford Bridge in the process, would only have added to Conte’s delight.
Since switching from the back four he inherited to the formation he followed with Juventus and Italy — mid-way through the humbling 3-0 loss at Arsenal last month — Conte has seen his side revitalised.
Three games, three wins, nine scored and NONE conceded represents exactly the response the Italian would have wanted.
Sunday’s destruction of United appeared a significant moment in Conte’s reign, as he crushed Mourinho and then defiantly stood his ground in a touchline war of words. But now Chelsea and Conte know they have to show their change is real, not artificially boosted by the teams they have savaged.
Struggling Hull, a Leicester side that has forgotten how to play away from home and Mourinho’s misfiring, self-harming United.
Tomorrow, with John Terry eager to return — the captain’s role could yet prove one of Conte’s big challenges — the Blues travel to the bear pit of West Ham’s new London Stadium in the EFL Cup fourth round.
Then on Sunday, Chelsea go to Southampton — to face a Saints side who have made huge strides under the wily Claude Puel.
No wonder Conte now wants his players to prove their impressive recovery following hurtful defeats by Liverpool and Arsenal is deep-rooted and tactical.
He said: “Already United is in the past. After this type of win, it usually increases your confidence.
“You trust more in the work you’re doing. That’s the most important thing.”
Conte has rapidly won over the Stamford Bridge fans and they backed him to the hilt on Sunday.
He will insist his players maintain their hungry new attitude, which has taken them to within one point of leaders Manchester City.
The derby trip to East London will mark 35-year-old Terry’s return after a six-week absence with an ankle injury — and his first opportunity to slot into Conte’s three-man defence.
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Midfielder Nemanja Matic has already benefitted from the switch to 3-4-3, his central-midfield partnership with the impressive N’Golo Kante allowing wing-backs Victor Moses and Marcos Alonso to drive forward.
Matic added: “The win against United was a moment when we showed we can compete with every team.
“Of course, we won’t forget we lost against Arsenal and against Liverpool. But the table shows that we are near the top — and we will try to continue like this.
“Sometimes you need to lose to wake up. The 3-0 defeat by Arsenal was a wake-up call for us.
“We knew we had to do better, to want more, and we did that.
“It’s easy to say we needed to work harder but after Arsenal we knew we had to show we had quality — and we have done that in the last three games.
“We have showed quality, did not concede, and we scored goals.
“Against United, everyone played very well and it was a good result for us.
“We knew it was going to be hard but we opened the game very well, and after the Pedro goal came so quickly, it was easier to play with more confidence.
“I am very happy with the performance.
“It’s not easy to win 4-0 against a strong team like United. We won a big game.”