It does sound like he's protecting his stock, if he gets sacked it'll be because the club didn't invest enough rather than his own failings.

Obviously we haven't bought the best players but they should be good enough to beat Bournemouth at home, I mean at least score a goal.

There are problems in midfield in that only Kante really belongs, just like there were problems in defense last season and he sorted it, he has to reinvent the team again but the question is can he do it? It was widely speculated that he already had 3-4-3 in mind when he signed for Chelsea. He might not actually have a backup plan, in that case we have to let him go but he has the rest of the season to find a solution and save his Chelsea career.

He’s throwing fans, players, and managers under the bus with his statements. Same thing Jose did before he was canned. I wish managers would manage the game instead of whine and cry and blame. Just say you are doing your best and you will continue to work. Be professional about it. 

 

I am am hoping it’s all lost in translation with him. But I just think this thing has about run its course. Shame, I thought we had something good going on. 

1 hour ago, startedwithglenn said:

0% chance of him walking. He's basically been daring the board to sack him for weeks, he wants his payoff and i'm convinced he knows his next job already and it's either PSG or Bayern.

And according to you, that's business as usual, no big deal? I would say matters are pretty damn pressing at the moment. 

Conte is delusional if he says the team were playing at maximum

9 minutes ago, Slojo said:

And according to you, that's business as usual, no big deal? I would say matters are pretty damn pressing at the moment. 

Well we are about on course to finish where expected, so yeah no big deal.

As far as the manager goes, well I strongly suspected in the summer this would be his last season and i've known for a while I was right. So I don't really care if he goes in June or if the board get rid of him earlier if they think someone else will get more out of the players for the final stretch.

Let's remember we finished 10th the season before Conte took over. We then went on to win a league against substantial odds.

We can't compete with the budgets of the Manchester clubs.

Ok, we aren't in great form, but 3rd/5th with run in a cup is realistically about our level.

2 hours ago, startedwithglenn said:

0% chance of him walking. He's basically been daring the board to sack him for weeks, he wants his payoff and i'm convinced he knows his next job already and it's either PSG or Bayern.

He won’t get those jobs. Not with his style of football.

It seems to be a trend with our managers. They get fed up and want their payoff. Whether it happens after success, like with conte and jose or almost right away due to incompetence like avb and big Phil. I think only Robbie, Carlo and Claudio were not. Man I miss how Claudio dealt with the media. What a class act he is . 

3 hours ago, TheChelsRVA said:

He’s throwing fans, players, and managers under the bus with his statements. Same thing Jose did before he was canned. I wish managers would manage the game instead of whine and cry and blame. Just say you are doing your best and you will continue to work. Be professional about it. 

 

I am am hoping it’s all lost in translation with him. But I just think this thing has about run its course. Shame, I thought we had something good going on. 

Hey you got what you wanted

 "I am trying to do my best. If someone desn't think this squad deserves this situation... I think we are doing everything. 120%. If someone does not agree about this, I am here to answer every situation. But I am very relaxed about this. I know I’m doing a great job, a great work, me and the staff and the players."

Edited February 1, 20188 yr by TheChelseaBlues

Personally I think he's done a great job. He's not without his faults but our squad finished 10th two years ago and has lost quality since then.

Defeats like last night's hurt, but to be honest we could be doing much worse. It's the old eggs and omlettes again and Conte's eggs are much worse than the ones Jose was complaining about all those years ago. 

Conte and certain fans can moan all they like about the board and transfers but Conte has a say. The issue is more how Chelsea have played the last month and the tactics he uses. Conte lost the semi final over 2 legs from his own tactics, he got out done by Wenger. Conte has become stubborn and predictable,  has no plan b. This isn't about players but more about Conte.

Chelsea have been playing a midfield 5 most of the year and the football hasn't been great, the last month has got worse. I do think Conte leaving at the end of the season can only have a negative effect on the squad. 

8 hours ago, Slojo said:

But who's fault is that if he's exploiting the squad to maximum level? Is Conte saying he can't improve the squad with a 150 million transfer budget? Is he directly saying that we will never be good enough to challenge for the title? It's a big insult to the players to tell them that last season they overachieved. 

What message does this send out exactly.. It really appears to me that Conte has no wishes to be at the club anymore. 

They did overachieve last season. Look at Moses & Alonso, both performed way above the level they ever have before. David Luiz was the best defender in the league. Pedro had a very good season. As @Spiller86 said above, we finished 10th when Conte took over two seasons ago. We’ve actually got a worse squad than when he took over. You can argue back and forth whether that’s the board or Contes fault but our board have previous for penny pinching and not backing managers, so I’m inclined to put the majority of it on them.

 

The squad we have is the type of squad that battles for the top 4. Last year was a terrific achievement and the squad did overperform. A big part of it was our tactics taking teams by surprise I feel.

 

Having said that, I do feel like the games we’ve lost aren’t supposed to be the games that put us here. I’m sure a week or two when I was watching the game Martin Tyler said that at that time last year only Chelsea had more points than we did this year at that stage in the season. 

I'm just confused.

I agree he is doing a good job we've had some dodgy results but it's nothing like Jose's final season with us.

We all knew this year would be a struggle with nearly every team in the league spending millions and millions on improving their squad, inflating the market (making it much more difficult to sign top class players leaving average players going for ridiculous prices). 

The board seemingly cutting down the big spending aswell due to the stadium rebuild and the fixture congestion which we didn't have last season and certainly doesn't help.

I do hope he's here for the long term I do struggle to see it but I honestly can't see many managers doing any better with this current crop of players and circumstances.

34 minutes ago, EdinburghBlue said:

They did overachieve last season. Look at Moses & Alonso, both performed way above the level they ever have before. David Luiz was the best defender in the league. Pedro had a very good season. As @Spiller86 said above, we finished 10th when Conte took over two seasons ago. We’ve actually got a worse squad than when he took over. You can argue back and forth whether that’s the board or Contes fault but our board have previous for penny pinching and not backing managers, so I’m inclined to put the majority of it on them.

 

The squad we have is the type of squad that battles for the top 4. Last year was a terrific achievement and the squad did overperform. A big part of it was our tactics taking teams by surprise I feel.

 

Having said that, I do feel like the games we’ve lost aren’t supposed to be the games that put us here. I’m sure a week or two when I was watching the game Martin Tyler said that at that time last year only Chelsea had more points than we did this year at that stage in the season. 

I think the finishing 10th thing is a bad argument and not a fair assessment of the team anyway. We literally had the same side that season that walked the league the season before plus improvements and we finished 10 places lower, that was mostly due to internal affairs.

We definitely have a good side, David Luiz is a fantastic centreback, Moses has improved a lot and Alonso is a fantastic left wing back, but I believe we've argued over Moses & Alonso before so agree to disagree on it. 

Even if Conte is right and the squad genuinely isn't that good, who's fault is that? He can't blame the board because he's had near 200 million to spend on both seasons. 

What Conte did last year was extraordinary but as has already been said it run its course. Teams know exactly how to play against us and we don't have another tactic or at least enough forward firepower to deal with it.. therefore Conte out, cause i really doubt he is gonna change his style. Plus he doesn't put enough trust or acknowledge the talent and will our youths have. 
Sane, Alli, Jesus, Rasford etc. we probably have/had same talents but guess we'll never know until they go away

I am overachieving with Chelsea, claims Antonio Conte.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/jan/31/i-am-overachieving-with-chelsea-claims-antonio-conte?CMP=share_btn_tw

Asked whether he and his players have been overachieving of late to compete, until recently, on four fronts, he replied: “Yes, I think we are doing more. We are doing more, yes. But we must be worried [about finishing in the top four]. It won’t be easy, and we have to fight. I’m ready to do that and I think the players are starting to understand that this season we have to struggle for a position in the Champions League.

“The players, until now, have been great with their commitment and their behaviour. If they hadn’t done that, our place in the table would be worse. If we want only to dream and not see the reality … in this case, I can tell you now we can fight to win the title this season. Rather, it will be very important to look at the reality and know that, if we are able to reach a place in the Champions League, it will be a great success for us.”

“We are doing everything and I’m exploiting this squad at the maximum level. But, if someone doesn’t agree about this, I’m here. I have to accept every situation. I’m very relaxed about this. I know I’m doing a great job, a great work, me and the staff and the players.”

Can't feel good for the players that. Shouldn't have put it that way even if he's got a point. But making it after losing 0-3 against Bournemouth at home isn't excactly ideal.

At this point i think we'd be better off sacking Conte like he probably wants and bringing in whoever we plan to bring in this summer a bit early if possible. I am one hundred percent sure the players know he's leaving this summer latest, us fans know it and now everything seems to be going pearshaped.

1 hour ago, Ernie_blue said:

Conte and certain fans can moan all they like about the board and transfers but Conte has a say. The issue is more how Chelsea have played the last month and the tactics he uses. Conte lost the semi final over 2 legs from his own tactics, he got out done by Wenger. Conte has become stubborn and predictable,  has no plan b. This isn't about players but more about Conte.

Chelsea have been playing a midfield 5 most of the year and the football hasn't been great, the last month has got worse. I do think Conte leaving at the end of the season can only have a negative effect on the squad. 

It's not even a midfield 5 though. We have 5/6 defensive players and then 2 or at most 3 attacking players. It's a shame because we could play a much better style of football, but conte is not trying to find "the best solution" for that. 

Changing manager won't make any difference though, whoever comes in will still have the same squad of average players to work with, they're not going to suddenly start backing a new man and get him his targets. Just feels like the only way forward at the moment, is down, and that's so depressing after such a good season last year.

I am just so confused why we don't have a plan B?  What's the point in wing backs slinging in crosses towards hazard and pedro.. Now we have Giroud and Morata it makes it even more obvious what our game plan is.  

We got outplayed last night because our tactics were completely wrong, I would definitely love Conte to carry on however some tactical changes is needed we looked way better when we went with a back 4

MAn it cant be easy on Conte.......jst imagine the pressure he is under. He must change it up Again....he must. But im with those that say our team is a squad fighting for top 4.....and thats it.

WHen so many managers do good and then suddenly everything goes to utter hell. Why is that? I really wish him to stay with us but with this board its unachievable......the NeXT guy will go through the same no matter what......the end is already at the Horizon before a new guy even sets foot in Chels.

Don't get why people keep saying we were 10th two seasons ago so we should be happy where we are now. We also won the league with the same squad that finished 10th the year before that. £350m invested on the squad since that awful season and we can't beat Crystal Palace, Bournemouth, Norwich, 10 man Leicester or the worst Arsenal team in a decade. 

Agree and think the board has not helped him and they may have reasons for that.

Conte's tactics have not always been the best and recently by going 3-4-3 we improved and then Willian got injured.

We lost all our strikers yesterday with Bats going to Germany so don't think he should be crucified for yesterdays result, though now Watford is important.

Personally think we will make top four though don't expect it to be straightforward.