Antonio
Conte has told Chelsea to forget their long unbeaten home run against
Tottenham when the teams meet on Saturday.
Gary Lineker was the match-winner the last time Spurs got the better of
their London rivals at Stamford Bridge in 1990, and May's bad-tempered 2-2
draw spelt the end of the visitors' title hopes.
That comeback draw prompted Chelsea captain John Terry to post a social
media message saying: "Not on my watch."
Terry is injured this weekend, and Conte is warning his Premier League
leaders that 26 years of favourable results will count for nothing against
the division's last unbeaten side.
"I don't like the stats, because the stats are old," the Chelsea head coach
said. "You have to live the moment.
"Now, if you speak about our unbeaten run, I can reply that in this
championship Tottenham are unbeaten. It's important to focus on the present.
The present now is more important than the past."
Focusing on the present also means keeping cool come kick-off, according to
the Italian, who said: "It's right to show your passion, but in the right
way, not in a bad way.
"I want my players to play with great intensity, with great passion, but
always in the right way."
Pochettino admitted in the spring that his Spurs side "didn't set a good
example" during a game of repeated flashpoints resulting in a ban for
eye-gouging for midfielder Mousa Dembele.
But Conte says Spurs did not lose the title on that game alone and wants his
own side to show they are challengers over the course of a whole season.
"For sure, you don't lose a championship in one game," Conte said. "In my
experience you lose or win a championship over many games. Precisely 38.
"I always told that to my players. Don't find an excuse and fight, because
you lose or you win for 38 league games, not for one game."
top