Conte plays down Fabregas’ omission

Antonio Conte has played down the significance of Cesc Fabregas’ omission for Chelsea’s derby victory against West Ham.

Fabregas was left on the bench, with Nemanja Matic given the nod to partner summer signing N’Golo Kante in midfield.

It has inevitably fuelled speculation that Fabregas could be on his way out of Stamford Bridge.

The former Arsenal midfielder was recently linked with a move to Italy, while reports in his native Spain have claimed that Real Madrid are interested.

But Conte said: “Cesc is Chelsea’s player. I’m happy with him for his attitude in training.

“When you are at a great team, you have to take the right decision for the game. It’s always important to see the right attitude and remain together in every situation

“It can happen that Fabregas is not in the starting XI, but it can happen to anyone. I took this decision – but the next game, we don’t know.

“When a coach makes a decision there is always a reason, but I prefer to keep those to myself. I have to take the choice and I don’t see any problem.”

Conte also praised Kante after his impressive debut.

The Frenchman, signed from champions Leicester, worked tirelessly in midfield as the Blues eventually overcame West Ham.

The 2-1 victory, secured by Diego Costa’s late strike, meant a winning start for Kante and new Chelsea boss Conte.

“Kante is a great player and he is very important for the team,” Conte declared.

“He has a good technique and fantastic stamina and can cover a lot of space on the pitch.”