Antonio Conte has warned his Chelsea stars not to worry about Tottenham’s results as the Premier League title race hots up this weekend.
With just eight games remaining Chelsea are clinging to a precious seven-point lead over second-placed Tottenham, but the Blues are showing a few glimpses of vulnerability.
Conte’s side ground out a barely deserved 2-1 win over Manchester City on Wednesday just days after crashing to a shock 2-1 home defeat against struggling Crystal Palace.
Meanwhile, Tottenham have reeled off five successive victories, including an incredible escape act at Swansea on Wednesday when they scored three times in the final minutes to clinch a 3-1 success.
With Chelsea playing on Saturday evening at Bournemouth, Tottenham have the chance to turn up the pressure again by temporarily trimming the lead to four points with a win against Watford at White Hart Lane a few hours earlier.
But Conte is adamant his players must forget about Tottenham’s form because Chelsea have their fate in their own hands.
“This race is open. I think now I can see two teams, Chelsea and Tottenham, in this race,” Conte said.
“There’s always pressure. If they win, if they lose, if they draw. It’s the same.
“It’s very important for us to look at ourselves and not the others. Tottenham’s result is important, but our results are the most important things.”
The Premier League era is littered with epic collapses from teams who thought the title was theirs and, with Chelsea needing 18 points to be certain of top spot, Blues midfielder Cesc Fabregas isn’t getting carried away yet.
“We’ve been saying it since the beginning of the season: it’s one game at a time,” he said.
“We have to worry about ourselves, not what the others are doing. As long as we keep winning then we don’t have to worry.”
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