Chelsea coach, Antonio Conte, has admitted that their 3-0 loss to Arsenal last September, changed their Premier League season.
The Blues are a win away from winning the title and travel to West Brom on Friday night.
Conte, reflecting on a very impressive debut season in England, says matches against Arsenal, Manchester United and Manchester City were pivotal to his side’s challenge, especially the humiliation at the Emirates.
“We started this season with three wins, but honestly… I wasn’t calm. I wasn’t calm, or tranquilo,” Conte said at a news conference at Cobham Training Ground.
“I didn’t see what I was wanting to see.
“It was very important, after two defeats to Liverpool and above all against Arsenal, against Liverpool after three wins and one draw, that loss could happen. But another defeat, a bad defeat against Arsenal, after that defeat I understood we had to change something in the tactical aspect.
“To find the right solution, also to improve our work, our tactical work. Then I saw my team improving game by game and increasing confidence, increasing confidence in the work. In what we were doing. If you ask me a proper moment, I don’t see one.
“I don’t see a moment. I saw my team improving, increasing game by game and step by step. For sure, when you play against City and win the way we did, the confidence improved. When you play and win against United at home in the way that we did.
“Or when we drew against Liverpool and missed a penalty 10 minutes from the end… yes, the confidence improved a lot. These are moments that you understand you can fight for the title, but to win it or not? It’s very difficult to understand.
“I always like to tell you this title, until the end we have to fight to win this title. Now there is a good opportunity because Tottenham’s defeat was, for us, a good opportunity to take three points and try to win the title before the end of the season.
“Now we have to take three points because, otherwise, we’ll have to fight until the end.”
Comments