The
Sunday Supplement panel questioned Antonio Conte after Chelsea's shock
opening defeat to Burnley.
Chelsea began the season with a 3-2 defeat on Saturday, seeing both Gary
Cahill and Cesc Fabregas sent off.
The champions' critics have argued that they are weaker than they were at
the end of last season after John Terry's departure, Nemanja Matic's sale to
Manchester United and Diego Costa's impending exit, but the Daily
Telegraph's chief sports writer Paul Hayward put the spotlight on Conte
himself.
"I think Chelsea have got good reason to feel aggrieved with the way Conte
is carrying on," he said. "This grumbling began at the end of last season,
and it picked up momentum from the minute they won the title.
"This message went around that Conte felt he didn't have enough players to
compete on two fronts the following season, that's standard fare for a
manager, pushing early to get bodies in.
"But it has continued unabated. When you look at the players they've bought,
they've done reasonably well in the transfer window. Bakayoko is a very
dynamic central midfield player, a potential upgrade on Nemanja Matic I
believe. Morata is a perfectly good A-list centre forward, they've bought a
good centre-back in Antonio Rudiger.
"But Conte has appeared relentlessly unsettled or unhappy. Everyone knows
that with the Chelsea manager, the owner and the people around him like to
play the transfer game, like a bit of a hobby, almost like a poker game that
they all enjoy.
"Conte knew that, but he also knows they won the title and had an extremely
good season and had built something to progress from, and yet he seems to
want to destabilise everything."
The Chelsea head coach was asked after the Burnley defeat whether his
starting XI had been a message to the board about his need to improve the
squad, but denied the suggestion, saying: "You don't know me well. In
pre-season we always play the best formation and it happened also today.
"With my choices, I put the best players in this moment. I repeat: I don't
like this type of question. Why do I have to send this message [to the
board]? I want to win."
Chelsea are now as long as 13/2 to win the title, with Conte tipped to be
first Premier League manager to leave this season, despite recently signing
an improved deal.
But Hayward said: "You can blame this cultural structural issue at Chelsea
that is always there, but in this instance I think there is an individual
causing problems that aren't there.
"Chelsea's hierarchy are entitled not to be very impressed with a manager
who they have just handed an improved contract to, and are entitled to be
aggrieved that he is just causing problems. There's no need to cause these
problems, I believe."
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