Chelsea entering crucial period, says Conte

Antonio Conte says Chelsea have entered a crucial period of matches in which they must continue to hold their nerve.

The Blues won 2-1 at West Ham to re-establish a 10-point lead at the top of the Premier League with 11 games to go.

And boss Conte declared: “I think this period has started. Now there are only 11 games, but for me that is a lot. We have to be right mentality and very focused.

“Now in this period it’s very important to live with the pressure in the right way, especially after you know your opponents won their game the day before.

“For sure I trust my players. I must have confidence in them. I think that, until now, we are deserving of staying on the top of the table.

“Now it’s important to keep this position but it won’t be easy because Tottenham and Manchester City chase us.

“I think this league will be very tough until the end. I listen to the other coaches and they trust (their teams) to win. It’s important for us to know the others have the ambition, so that we have the hunger and the will to stay on top of the league.

“We showed great will to win the game tonight. We stayed compact, scored two good goals and had chances to score more. We must be more clinical.”