Beginning of the end for Conte?
A torrid trend has emerged in England as the two previous mangers of Premier League champion sides has seen the boot following his victorious season. Mourinho and Claudio Ranieri saw ugly exits from their respective clubs just one half season after bringing glory to their fanbases. Could Antonio Conte be following in their footsteps? Is trouble brewing at Stamford Bridge?
Issues with Costa
Things turned South at the close of last season when Conte sent a brutal text message to superstar striker, Diego Costa, dismissing him from future squad plans. According to beat writers and people around the dressing room, Conte began to lose favor with his championship squad after the fued with Costa became public. Costa led the Blues in scoring last season with 20 goals and 11 assists in the Premier League. This is not the caliber of player Conte can afford to brush aside, especially if he’s looking to avoid early termination.
Adding fuel to the fire, Costa disposed of Nemaja Matic despite his integral role with the team last season. The latest reports indicate Willian fears he is next in line to fall out of favor with the Chelsea boss. Not a promising sign to start off a title defense. Conte may well have his reasons for personnel changes to find the right XI for his schemes but alienating his players is not the right way to go about that change.
Failure to Improve Squad
This season Chelsea will be playing a full Premier League season, two domestic cups and Champions League. For a club that started a league low amount of player last season, depth was a must this Summer. Conte needed to boost his squad in depth and quality. However, to date that hasn’t been the case. Adding Rudiger, Morata, Bakayoko and a backup keeper for superstar Courtois certainly helps but we must also consider the departures of Diego Costa and Nemaja Matic. I would argue these additions don’t even cover those two loses. Granted, Morata and Bakayoko have the potential to fill those gaps and possible improve them but that takes time. Time the Blues don’t have. With a little over a week remaining in the transfer window, Chelsea management and Conte desperately need to find quality reinforcements if they wish for another successful season.
One foot out the door?
After a dismal 3–2 loss to open the 2017 Premier League season against Burnley at Stamford Bridge, Conte’s squad rebounded brillinatly against title contenders Tottenham with a final line of 2–1. Despite Michy’s disasterous own goal in the 82nd minute, Chelsea rallied behind Marcos Alonso’s decisive strike, his second goal of the day. Blues fans had a big sigh of relief after the win, seeing their club return to top form. Reinforcements are on the way with superstar Eden Hazard still recovering from offseason surgery and captain Gary Cahill returning from suspension soon. Conte’s hopes of remaining Chelsea boss hinge on the clubs domestic and European success this season. He needs to patch things up with Costa, push hard on ownership to purchase much needed depth before the end of the Summer transfer window and drive the squad to last year’s elite performances. Only time will tell the fate of Antonio Conte’s tenure in London, but as of today, I’d say he’s safe.
