Fabregas to make his first start of the season as Chelsea go on the attack vs Arsenal

Conte, the Chelsea head coach, wants to put his team out on the front foot against Arsenal, following the lacklustre performance in the defeat by Liverpool, which means Fàbregas is likely to replace Oscar.

Fàbregas could be employed slightly ahead of N’Golo Kanté and Nemanja Matic after scoring twice in the League Cup victory over Leicester City in midweek.

Having joined Arsenal as a 16-year-old from Barcelona, Fàbregas spent eight years in north London before re-joining Barça and then moving to Chelsea in 2014.

“For Cesc, it’s a special game,” said Conte. “But the most important thing for Cesc is that, now, he’s a Chelsea player and playing very well for Chelsea.

“I’m seeing him very focused, very concentrated, during the training sessions. He played a good game in the cup.

“I’m pleased with his attitude, with his commitment during training and in the last game. When I called him to come on in the Liverpool game, too. I want to see this in all my players.” Having seen his team keep just one clean sheet in their opening seven games and with captain John Terry still out with an ankle injury, it seems Conte may have decided that the best form of defence is to attack against an Arsenal team that can be vulnerable at the back.

Asked if he thinks opponents believe Chelsea are weak in defence, Conte said: “I don’t know. I don’t know this. But if the opponents think this, they must also think that we can score a lot of goals.

“I think that when we conceded goals, all the team conceded. Not just the defenders. That means we must improve together to improve the defensive situation. The problem was already there last season. Chelsea conceded 53 goals last season. We must work a lot on this aspect. If you want to have a great championship, sure, you can’t concede that many goals.”

Wenger is celebrating 20 years at Arsenal, an achievement Conte has great respect for. Unlike his Chelsea predecessor, Jose Mourinho, the Italian does not believe a manager’s work should be judged solely on winning.

“I think that Arsène Wenger is doing a good job, but it’s normal that, when every single year you fight for the title, you want to win,” said Conte. “But to stay up there every year is not easy. For this reason, I think Wenger is doing a good job with the young players. When you see Arsenal, you see good football.

“It’s fantastic if someone is able to stay for 20 years in the same club. Sometimes I think it’s important, when you’re a manager, not only to think about win, lose or draw. The manager must also coach and do work every day during the week.

“If you see a coach or manager works very well and, during the season, you can’t win, you must view him for his job, for his work. Sometimes if you judge only on wins, you make a big mistake and pay for this in the future.

“When you win, you must understand which way you won. That’s important. Sometimes the win is a situation that isn’t from a solid base. If we don’t win tomorrow or in the next game, I’m sure we will in the future. In the next game. But if I’m a director and I don’t see that basis of work, you can win a game but not be sure it will go on.

I think the club must value the work a coach puts in.”

Although it prompted laughter from the assembled journalists, Conte answered the question of whether he would like to stay at Chelsea for the next 20 years without the flicker of a smile or hint of irony.

“Yeah, yeah. I like this,” he said. “When you can organise and do your work, and there is great satisfaction on both sides, there is the possibility to have good work. Now my dream is to continue for Chelsea, to continue my job, to continue to get to know the players, the fans, with this atmosphere because it’s fantastic. I’m happy and I think this is my real dream.”