Are the days numbered for Antonio Conte at Chelsea?

Antonio Conte is on the verge of being sacked at Chelsea after disastrous back-to-back defeats to Bournemouth and Watford a few days ago. Despite those two obvious loses, more important Chelsea failed to perform in those games and they looked really bad on the field. Just a season on from winning the Premier League, the Italian is battling to save his job after seeing Chelsea fall massive 19 points behind Manchester City in the title race. The Blues are scrapping for a place in the Champions League for next season and Conte took the unusual step this week of asking the board to publicly back him. 

You don’t need to be a brain surgeon to see that Antonio Conte have problems “behind the scenes” at Stamford Bridge. Since 1st January 2018 in all competitions Chelsea managed to get 2 wins, 5 draws and 3 defeats and those results shouldn’t be such a big problem, but players approach and attitude in those games plus Conte’s tactics and team selection show that Italian coach lost his grip on the wheel in Chelsea. Maybe it would be harsh to sack a Premier League winning manager just months after he won the competition but it is obvious that he lost his “magic touch” and his tactics aren’t working wonders anymore.

So what’s gone wrong with winning the Premier League title to this slump in just a few months? 

It all started when Conte felt winning the league should allow him much more say in who came and went from his squad – and first in his sights was notorious malcontent, Diego Costa. Conte decided to sell the Spanish striker even though his goals had been instrumental in the title success in the past season. Conte didn’t expect on Costa going public with a text message from Conte telling him he is not in his plans for next season. The situation quickly disintegrated as Costa refused to train with the reserves, leaving Chelsea struggling to find a buyer for a decent price. Abramovich was said to be furious and, although Costa eventually got his wish to join Atletico Madrid, the Italian has been on a collision course with the club’s hierarchy ever since. 

The transfer window has been a source of frustration for Conte and that is the most obvious reason that Chelsea under performed this season. Chelsea lost some really important players and failed to sign significant replacements, so their squad lack depth that is needed for a long and successful season. Conte made it clear from the moment the title was won last season that his squad needed serious reinforcement, yet it hasn't happened and Chelsea lost transfer battles against Manchester teams. 

Now, player fatigue, injuries, and bad discipline hindered Chelsea so far in the season. Plus on that, there is growing intolerance by the players with Conte’s training regime. Players tell that regime is too harsh given the fact that the Blues have two game per week schedule.

Replacement players that have been signed this season just don’t fit into Conte’s style just yet. Chelsea signed Tiemoue Bakayoko, from Monaco to fill the defensive midfield role vacated by Nemanja Matic (sold to Manchester United), and Alvaro Morata, the Spanish striker brought to replace Costa. Bakayoko season, for now, isn’t good at all and Morata has been inconsistent in front of goal and lacks his predecessor’s intimidating physical presence. 

Chelsea team performance this season is a joy for those who like to back underdogs as Conte’s team failed to impress in many games. They lost 6 games in total this season, but they're loses came against all “small” clubs like Watford, Crystal Palace, Burnley etc. 

So if you even think about betting on Chelsea this season you have more chance to hit jackpot at slots in some online casinos than to predict when Chelsea will win. For those who like to play slots and live casino games, we recommend them to take a look at Casino Guru, place when you can find all the answers regarding Online Casino world. 

So at the end is it smart to sack Conte and who to sign as a replacement for this strange Italian coach?

There are some rumours that Abramovich made a move on ex Barcelona coach, Luis Enrique, the coach with has a track record of success and already boasts a Champions League win on his CV. 

Maybe Abramovich will go for a British manager as at the moment he has two coaches that make a good job in Premier League, Eddie Howe and Sean Dyche. Both of these managers are destined to manage bigger clubs, but it is a question will they get a chance to do their magic at Chelsea. 

Or Chelsea will go for their ex-coach Carlo Ancelotti to the hot seat. Ancelotti is hugely popular figure among the supporters and a renowned man-manager. It might be a long shot but having seen Mourinho return to the club, the return of Ancelotti is not beyond the realms of possibility. T

his is an alternative view to my previous post here.