Antonio Conte joined the NBC Premier League crew pitch-side after his side’s 2-0 defeat to Manchester United, and the Chelsea boss was clearly downtrodden after the Blues dropped to just a four-point lead in the PL title race.
First, Conte praised Manchester United for their performance, saying the Red Devils “deserved to win this game.” That much was clear after Chelsea struggled to create anything up front, without a shot on target all match.
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Conte struggled to find the words to explain the result at Old Trafford, visibly stumbling over his words and having trouble describing the match. “It’s very difficult to explain this type of game today, because I think that we...yeah, we didn’t play well today, and we must be honest to accept this to try to find the best solution for the next game.”
However, he wasn’t all praises towards his predecessor Jose Mourinho, who produced a magnificent tactical display on the other end. “If we win [the title], it will be a miracle, because we started with a lot of problems in the past and this season also.” Mourinho was the manager before Conte arrived, but the team spiraled out of control last season before Mourinho was let go.
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The Italian would not be drawn into conversation about Eden Hazard’s poor performance, saying, “I don’t like when I listen that one player is important. All the players are important because we are a team, and we win and we lose as a team.”
Conte said “every game must be a final” for the rest of the season if they are to win the title.