The biggest game in the Barclays Premier League this weekend was Arsenal versus Chelsea FC. The London derby was surprisingly one-sided in favor of the Gunners. Chelsea’s defense, a question mark all season long, was extremely exposed. The play of Gary Cahill reached a new low and the world took notice.
Chelsea manager Antonio Conte certainly did not sugarcoat anything in the postgame. He said that right now Chelsea FC are a good team only on paper. Not on the pitch, where it counts, where it matters, but only on paper.
Conte also said that this team, and their serious issues, are keeping him awake at night.
“We must improve a lot of if we want to stay up [at the top] and not in the middle of the table,” Antonio Conte said.
“But my message is not important. The most important message is the one that arrives on the pitch. We must all understand this message, and find very soon the right solution to improve.
“I don’t sleep, sure. I don’t sleep. This is normal. After this game, this defeat, it’s normal for me not to sleep. Not only tonight, but for two nights. When I don’t sleep, I reflect. And it’s important to reflect.
“I got angry at half-time but I prefer to keep my words. There are rules in the dressing room. Sure I was angry but my players were also angry. We were not satisfied with our game, with our performance.
“I have to find the solution very, very soon because against Arsenal we played a very bad game.”
Wow! That’s rough; because few things feel as bad in life as being sleep-deprived and exhausted. When you’re extremely tired, you can’t even think straight, and when you’re not thinking right, everything falls apart.
I do appreciate the frank honesty with which Antonio Conte spoke.
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 and Bold Global.
He also consistently appears on numerous radio and television talk shows all across the country. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram and Sound Cloud.