Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has admitted that he faces an uphill task with the Blues squad this season as the Italian tactician embarks on his journey to take the West London club back to Premier League title.
Chelsea barely managed a top half finish last season after a poor start to the season that saw club legend Jose Mourinho lose his job as the manager.
Conte said “When you finish 10th it means there are problems. Don’t forget the past because it teaches us a lot but the important thing in this situation is to think of the present. We must work very hard and find facts, not words. We can say, “OK, we are ready to fight, we can come back soon and win the title.
“There are problems and we are here to solve them. The situation is not easy. Also, it is important to stay together in this moment and to create the right spirit between us — the fans, the club, players, manager and all the people who work at Chelsea.”
Conte also spoke about the alleged match-fixing scandals from which he was recently acquitted, the 47-year old said that he didn’t want to take time off and was fully prepared for the challenge.
“The story is a bad story and a story I do not accept. I fought against it and risked myself to go before a judge. I could have chosen another way. It would have been very easy for me to finish and let the time pass.
“In Italy, in the past, with this type of story, five years and it’s finished,” he said, miming washing his hands. “But no, I wanted to be judged. Many people wrote bad things without knowing the reality.” he added.
