Conte stands by team selection after Chelsea draw
Antonio Conte insisted he selected the best strikeforce possible against Everton in the absence of Alvaro Morata.
The suspended Morata was badly missed by Chelsea as they dominated the game at Goodison Park but were unable to break the deadlock.
Blues boss Conte again opted to play without an out-and-out striker rather than start with Michy Batshuayi, with Eden Hazard once more asked to lead the attack.
“I decided to play with Hazard, Willian and Pedro. It’s not the first time,” Conte said after the 0-0 draw.
“I have to make the best decision for my team. I took the best decision. We played without our striker and have played this way before this season.
“Michy started many games at the start of the season. He’s coming back from an injury.”
The draw means third-placed Chelsea now trail Premier League leaders Manchester City, who beat Bournemouth 4-0, by 16 points.
“We must be disappointed, because we deserved to win. We must be more clinical,” Conte admitted.
23/12/2017 @ 9:02 pm
Conte must accept responsibility for some of these poor runs.If Hazard is deployed as a false 9,why play him as 7. I strongly believe that Hazard would either score or win one or two penalties to gift advantage for his team if he is played centrally as a top 9. His trickery and swerves will invite some straying legs to either pull him down to gain a penalty or leave him free to score. The formation used by Conte only makes Hazard to stand out as an outstanding individual player without a result for the team. runs.If Hazard is deployed as a false 9,why play him as 7. There’s also the case of Chelsea players running out of confidence. Morratta ,Hazard, Curtois ,Christensen are perhaps the only players who enjoy the confidence of the coach and they play to optimum. Others just make up believing no matter what they do is never appreciated. They believe the coach who don’t believe in what they’re doing is not worth dying for.While some may regain confidence gradually, I don’t believe someone like Batshuayi will ever return in confidence. As a matter of fact,he is presently playing the kind of football that must ensure that he leaves the club either permanently or on loan.Now the January transfer window beckons and Chelsea must now do what they have not been doing for years. ….i.e spot the good players and buy them. For a long time now Chelsea under Emenalo have been spotting all the good players for other clubs to buy. They must also stop selling their top players no matter the compelling pressure. To begin with, on no account should they sell Hazard, Curtois,Aspicuelletta and Willian this season. Yes Willian. He is only experiencing a dip in form and can be such a wonderful player on a good day.