Quoting the Grateful Dead, “what a long strange trip it’s been.” Chelsea FC ran away from everybody in 2014-15, winning the Premier League title by a very large margin. Then last season brought a title defense which went about as poorly as anyone could have ever conceived. Actually, it was probably worse than anyone could have ever predicted.
Then Manager Jose Mourinho completely lost the dressing room, and found himself sacked by Christmas. Guus Hiddink was tasked with cleaning up the mess in the interim, paving the way for Antonio Conte to now spearhead the rebuilding project.
What direction will Conte take Roman Abramovich’s club? Conte spoke to the press in the United States of America during their preseason exhibition tour.
“The situation is very strange because two years ago Chelsea won the title in England,” Conte told ESPN FC. “And last season we finished in 10th in the table and as a result out of the Champions League, out of Europa league.
“Surely, this is not a good result for our great team like Chelsea. But I think also that now it’s important to forget, to forget the past and concentrate, focus on the present.
“[We must] work really hard in the present to build a great future for us, for the club, for the players, for me, for the fans, for all the people who work in Chelsea. For me it’s important to concentrate to the present and leave the past.”
Chelsea take on Liverpool tonight at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. The match is part of the International Champions Cup, a preseason friendly “tournament.”
On Saturday, in another ICC match, Chelsea FC will take on Real Madrid at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It’s the second largest stadium in the world, and the biggest one outside North Korea. It’s home to Jim Harbaugh and his University of Michigan Wolverines. Harbaugh will be there; probably. (more on that here)
The last time a soccer game was played at the venue commonly referred to as “The Big House” was August of 2014 between Real Madrid and Manchester United; and that match such a new record set for American single game soccer attendance. Chelsea geared up for their American tour by releasing this hilarious video in which first players stumble through answering basic American history questions.
Antonio Conte has already started to put his stamp on the club by bringing in two major signings- N’Golo Kante and Michy Batshuyai. For more on his rebuilding project, check out the interview feature at ESPN FC.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes regularly to the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye publication.
He also consistently appears on numerous talk shows all across the country. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram
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