Can Conte handle the situation at Chelsea ?
CosminIftode / Shutterstock.com
Antonio Conte was appointed at Chelsea last season, at the end of a season that saw the club finish at one of the lowest positions they have finished in recent times.
The season saw the club owners sack Jose Mourinho, a manager who had just won the English Premier League title for them just the previous season but lost control of the dressing room towards the end of his second stint at the club. The opinion of Chelsea fans over Jose Mourinho’s sack was divided; while some felt the sacking was the right choice considering the travails of the club under his management at that point, some thought he should have been left in charge to weather the storm and steady the ship himself.
The subsequent appointment of Antonio Conte however was greeted with much enthusiasm by majority of the Chelsea fan base, and it was obvious to see why. This is a manager who is well tested in football management and is used to winning league titles. His teams were known for defensive solidity and grit, two things that Chelsea needed most at that point.
The truth was that Chelsea already had a fantastic squad, a squad that won the league just the previous season and looked good doing it; why they fell apart so badly, no one could really tell. Antonio’s Conte job was basically to come and bring out the best in these players.
The season started shakily for Conte and his team, it took them a while for them to get their rhythm, but once they did, they became basically unstoppable. At the end of the season, they took home the league title, a fantastic achievement for the Italian tactician. However, there was a cross section of football fans and journalists who felt they had it easy winning the title because they had a freer football calendar than their opponents in the league. The club’s main opponents in the league were Manchester United, who were playing in the UEFA Europa League, Manchester City who were playing in the UEFA Champions league, and Arsenal who were playing in the same competition.
Chelsea crashed out of the EFL cup very early in the fourth round, so they basically went the most part of the season playing just two competitions. Many, especially rival fans believed this gave them a strong edge over other potential rivals because they didn’t have to deal with the level of fatigue and injuries that others had to deal with. For instance, their clash with Manchester United came on a Saturday immediately following a Thursday when the Manchester side had to travel for a tough UEL clash all the way in Russia. Of course, this gave the London side an edge in the clash.
A number of football enthusiasts predicted a tougher 2017/2018 season for the blues, due to a more congested fixture, and from results so far this season, they may have a point. Chelsea haven’t started particularly well, and they would want to hope for a quick turn-around if they will make something of their season at the end.
Home
Football 
Basketball
Hockey
American Football
Baseball
Rugby
Volleyball
Handball
Esoccer
