But Conte, speaking today ahead of Chelsea’s Friday night clash with Liverpool, says he wants to keep hold of the former Arsenal captain.
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Fabregas has played 26 minutes of Premier League football in four games this season – making just two appearances.
Vialli became Chelsea’s first Italian manager when he was appointed in 1997, while still a player, but Claudio Ranieri, Carlo Ancelotti and Roberto Di Matteo all followed in his footsteps before Conte’s arrival in the summer. But I want this from my players, to put many doubts in my mind before I choose the line-up.
“He is a great player”. We all know Cesc, a great technical player.
‘I think he has to adapt to his players as much as they have to adapt to him.
Conte insists he is not anxious about the possibility of losing his top scorer, having defended Costa for showing restraint in the face of “a lot of kicks” during Chelsea’s 2-2 draw with Swansea City on Sunday. But tomorrow we need him, we need David Luiz to play. Today he had a training session to recover.
But Conte has been impressed with Fabregas’s reaction since being left out and also his contribution off the bench in games against Watford (won 2-1) and Swansea (drew 2-2), which helped Chelsea come from behind to secure a crucial three extra points. “But I’m not anxious about this”.
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“I think Diego is growing also in this situation because, in the last game, he showed a great attitude, great behaviour – despite a situation that was very hard for him”. He’s a passionate man.
