Conte demands better attitude from Chelsea

Chelsea remain without a Premier League win this month and conceded all the goals before half-time, with Alexis Sanchez, Theo Walcott and Mesut Ozil on target as Arsenal made merry.

Published : Sep 25, 2016 12:05 IST

Chelsea boss Antonio Conte.
Chelsea boss Antonio Conte.
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Chelsea boss Antonio Conte.

Antonio Conte challenged his Chelsea players to prove their worth after questioning their attitude in the 3-0 derby defeat at Arsenal.

Chelsea remain without a Premier League win this month and conceded all the goals before half-time, with Alexis Sanchez, Theo Walcott and Mesut Ozil on target as Arsenal made merry.

Conte handed a first league start of the season to Cesc Fabregas but removed the ex-Arsenal captain in the 54th minute, introducing Marcos Alonso to switch to the 3-5-2 formation he favoured with Juventus and the Italian national team.

But he refused to single out individuals flaws, such as Gary Cahill's dreadful error for Sanchez's 11th-minute opener, and insisted Chelsea's problems are collective.

"I think that from the first minute we didn't have the right attitude and I think that we played against a good team, who were well organised in the tactical and physical aspect," he told BT Sport.

"After today we are thinking that we must work a lot. Now we are a great team only on paper.

"I think that it is always a team problem, not individual players. When nothing works it is very difficult for a player to play a good game."

On Cahill's woefully judged backpass, he added: "I don't want to speak about the mistake because it is not right for the player. We win as a team and we lose as a team.

"We know that we must work a lot and if someone thinks now this team is ready to fight… we must wait to be a great team not only on paper but on the pitch. This is important."

The loss leaves Chelsea eight points behind early pacesetters Manchester City in eighth but Conte feels comparisons to other sides are unhelpful to him at present.

He added: "Manchester City started the season very well. They are playing very well.

"But I think also that everyone must look in our house for the problem.

"It is important now to look in our house and not in the other houses."

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