Antonio
Conte insists he is not afraid to count his Chelsea side among the Premier
League title contenders as they prepare for their opening game of the new
season.
The Blues entertain West Ham in
Monday Night Football, live on
Sky Sports 1 HD from 7pm, with Conte tasked with improving on a
disappointing campaign that saw them finish 10th in 2015/16.
Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho claimed on Friday his rival managers
were scared to make bold pledges concerning their team's title ambitions.
But when asked if he feared backing his Chelsea side for silverware in the
wake of Mourinho's comments, Conte replied: "No. I must be honest I think
that other things scare me, not to win or lose in football.
"I think that in this league it's very tough, and I think that at the moment
six, seven, eight teams can fight to win the title.
"And I'm sure Chelsea is a good team and we must work very hard to be in the
six, seven teams that fight for the title."
Conte believes Diego Costa will play a key role for Chelsea this season but
is keen for his striker to act as a focal-point for the team and abandon his
previous roving role.
"Diego is a forward, and he knows that in my idea of football, the forward
must always be a point of reference for the team," added the Italian.
"I don't like the forward to move around the pitch, I like the forward to
stay there, because you are a forward, and your commitment is to score the
goal, stay in the right position.
"You're a forward, not a midfielder, not a defender.
"Diego Costa is a great player, and I know that he's a fantastic finisher.
And I think that Diego can improve still a lot.
"I try to improve all my players. I'm seeing a good attitude from Diego, to
work, to improve in different situations. I think Diego can give a lot to
this team, and I'm sure that he'll have a good season.
"For me he's an important player, he had a fantastic season two years ago
when Chelsea won the title.
"Last season for a while he didn't score, then he started to score, but I'm
happy that Diego stays here and [wants] to work with us.
"I like the spirit of Diego, because he always shows a great passion. Me,
I'm the same, I have great passion for football.
"He doesn't want to lose and I like this passion."
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