Antonio Conte made a successful start to life in the Premier League with a 2-1 victory over West Ham on Monday night so the Italian tactician would love to make it successive wins with another three points tomorrow.
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After a drab first half in which neither side created a chance of any note, it was the hosts who hit the front through Etienne Capoue’s fine strike in the 55th minute.
However, the Blues managed to pick up an unlikely win when summer arrival Michy Batshuayi and Spain worldwide Diego Costa both scored in the final 10 minutes.
Antonio Conte has defended under-fire striker Diego Costa, urging the player to ignore the criticism he has received and to focus only on scoring more goals for Chelsea. It shows the great spirit of the team, the right attitude, the right commitment.
“We try to win all the games like he wants, he’s a good manager, he believes in his team and we try to give everything for him”. Normally these wins are very important to improve, to transfer the work, for our confidence to rise, because after a bad season like a year ago it’s not easy to start, to win two games. “And wins like this are very important to improve confidence and trust in the work”.
Little needs writing about the horror show of a season Chelsea endured at Stamford Bridge last season, not least about the unenviable record the Blues set in the process.
“I’m pleased to see the reaction from my players”. I think for the English league, this is no good. “We are working very hard and will continue to work very hard”.
“We played better than at Southampton last week”, he said.
Most of this we’ve heard before but it’s that first sentence that’s key.
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The first half saw both sides cancel each other out in midfield – neither team could put together a string of passes to frustrate the opposition and get a foothold in the game.
