Antonio Conte has suggested that Tiémoué Bakayoko’s pre-season injury has contributed to his difficult start at Chelsea.
The French midfielder has attracted criticism for his performances since arriving from Monaco during the summer.
He spent the early part of the campaign recovering from a knee problem, while fellow summer signing Danny Drinkwater was also out injured after his pre-deadline move from Leicester.
Conte has recently defended Bakayoko, insisting the 23-year-old simply needs time to develop.
And the Blues boss has again called for patience.
Conte said: “I’m very happy to work with my players. It’s normal when you’re starting to change, to create a base for Chelsea, that you must have patience and to work – especially with the new players.
“New players need a bit of time to adapt themselves in our idea of football and this league. This is not simple.
“Drinkwater and Bakayoko for example, they started to work with us very late.
“The most important thing is to have the will to work and to try to improve every day.”
This post was last modified on 11/12/2017