MX23RW : Monday, November 25 02:45:25| >> :120:21061:21061:

Antonio Conte takes swipe at Chelsea predecessor Jose Mourinho

Chelsea boss Antonio Conte admits that 'it has not been easy' putting right the wrongs of last season, with the Blues improving from 10th to first inside 12 months.

Antonio Conte has taken a thinly-veiled swipe at Jose Mourinho by claiming that he inherited "a lot of problems" when taking charge of Chelsea last summer.

The Blues endured a torrid campaign last time out, eventually finishing 10th in the table after sacking Mourinho midway through and bringing in experienced head Guus Hiddink.

After guiding Chelsea to the brink of Premier League title success in his first term at the helm - the club's fifth in 12 years - Conte was keen to praise his players for getting back on track in what has been a stellar campaign to date.

"I'd like to underline that the start of the season wasn't easy because we faced a lot of problems, we had to solve a lot of problems," he told reporters. "I repeat, when you finish 10th in the league, it means the problem is not only one, but there are a lot of problems.

"The problem is not only one person, you must divide the fault, for this reason we tried to start the season by trying to solve the problems with the players, we tried to find a solution with my staff, they were created in the last season. I have to thank my players and the staff because they worked very hard to change this.

"I have to say thanks to my players because it's not easy to adapt to a new method, a new philosophy, to work very hard to change totally, when you compare this season with the past. We are doing a really good job, but I want it to become great and fantastic, we have two big opportunities to finish in the right way."

Chelsea, seven points clear of Tottenham Hotspur, require victory against West Bromwich Albion on Friday night to make certain of the title.

ID:297943: cacheID:297943:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2803:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Antonio Conte celebrates as Nemanja Matic makes it three during the Premier League game between Chelsea and Middlesbrough on May 8, 2017
Read Next:
Antonio Conte only focused on Chelsea
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool1210112481631
2Manchester CityMan City127232217523
3Chelsea126422314922
4Arsenal126422112922
5Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton126422116522
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs1261527131419
7Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest125431513219
8Aston Villa125431919019
9Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
10Fulham125341717018
11Brentford125252222017
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd124441313016
13Bournemouth124351617-115
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Everton122551017-711
16Leicester CityLeicester122461523-810
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves122372028-89
18Ipswich TownIpswich121651323-109
19Crystal Palace121561017-78
20Southampton121110924-154


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!