Conte has arrived at Chelsea with a reputation for being an expert tactician, as displayed by taking Italy to the European Championship quarter-finals, but also for being a passionate and animated character on the touchline. “He told me it is not a big one, but you never know and he will have a scan on Tuesday and we have to wait for the result of the scan to know how long he will be out”.
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For Conte this was the first evidence that the players are taking on his “idea of football”, which he has been drilling them with since he arrived in early July. “I played against English teams in the Champions League and Europa League, but playing this league is very hard”, said the 47-year-old.
N’Golo Kante impressed on his league debut for Chelsea, snuffing out the bulk of West Ham’s attacks, and midfielders Oscar and Nemanja Matic worked hard to dominate midfield. “We want to bring the fans a lot of emotion but it’s always good to start like this”.
Slaven Bilic felt Diego Costa should have received a second yellow card prior to scoring Chelsea’s winning goal against West Ham, but was more upset with his side conceding so late in the game. “We are happy, but I’m happy for the performance of all the Chelsea players”.
Conte said he “did not see” the tackle, adding: “I saw Costa put the pressure on the keeper and then try to stop”.
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“There is a great intensity in the Premier League and it’s very physical”. It was late. Nine times out of ten, a challenge on a goalkeeper like this looks like a booking. “I am not frustrated because of that, I am frustrated because of the late goal”.
