Antonio Conte has said that winning the Premier League title again with Chelsea this season will be more difficult than retaining Serie A with Juventus after watching his team lose 1-0 at home to rivals Manchester City.
“It was completely different,” he said of his experience in Italy. “Juventus won the title against a really strong team like AC Milan [in 2011-12] but then the next summer they sold Thiago Silva and [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic [to Paris Saint-Germain]. They were weaker. It was not simple but easier [to win it again]. Here if you compare last season to this season, you can see the big teams have got bigger.
“Last season was a great satisfaction because don’t forget the year before we finished 10th and then we won the title and reached the FA Cup final. Last season was fantastic. This season we have to try to do our best and have great satisfaction. It won’t be easy but last season wasn’t easy either.”
“Morata played three games in seven days and got injured,” he explained. “It’s not simple for our wing-backs. Moses played two games against Stoke and Atletico, [Marcos] Alonso one and a half because he came off early against Stoke. You have to try not to put your players in difficulty, but you also take a risk [by not playing them] because Moses is an important player for us.
“To play three games in seven days, you risk. With Morata it was the same but I made this decision to risk Morata in this game
“I see my players every day and I am proud to be the coach of these players,” he added. “I see their commitment in every training session and during the game. I must be pleased with this. For sure to defend the title is very difficult and for every team to win the league. The past shows it is very difficult to win two titles in a row [in England].”
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