Antonio Conte‘s current Chelsea team has dropped eight points through seven games of the 2017-18 Premier League season. Conte’s title-winning side of 2016-17 dropped 21 all of last season (38 games).
Saturday’s home defeat at the hands of Manchester City, one of two PL title favorites this season, was the latest setback as the Blues fell to fourth in the league table, a point behind Tottenham Hotspur and six off the pace of Man City and Manchester United. Speaking in his post-game television interviews, Conte seemed quite comfortable and pleased with his team’s performances, claiming the only difference between the sides on the day was a bit of clinical finishing — quotes from the BBC:
“It was a tough game but we know very well that Manchester City are a big team and it’s very difficult to play this type of game.
“I think that we gave everything today and I am happy with the commitment and desire from all my players. They had the will to fight against a very strong team.
“In this type of game you need time to recover, if you are tired it is not simple to go box to box. Today we created chances but we didn’t take them. Manchester City had chances and they took them.”
As for the injury that forced star striker Alvaro Morata from the game in the 35th minute, and left Chelsea just about helpless in building their attack, Conte hinted that the Spaniard’s withdrawal was largely cautionary — quotes from the BBC:
“When you lose this type of player it is not simple. When you play three massive games in only seven games you must consider this, it can happen a muscular problem, but I do not think it is serious. Alvaro stopped before it became a serious injury.”
