Prior to Chelsea’s 4-1 loss at Watford tonight there plenty of reports claiming that a defeat would be the final straw that got Blues manager Antonio Conte sacked. After a match that was nothing short of disastrous for Chelsea, The Sun reported that bookmakers have suspended wagering on whether or not Conte sees his tenure terminated at Stamford Bridge.
Then you have the postgame press conference, which apparently had the feel of a dead man walking speaking to reporters.
Here’s a tweet from Daily Mirror Chief Football Writer John Cross:
Antonio Conte has just given a very emotional press conference but if the defeat didn't get him the sack then some of his words just might. Said his players are beset by fear, questioned whether they are big enough to play for Chelsea and it felt like he was saying goodbye.
— John Cross (@johncrossmirror) February 5, 2018
https://twitter.com/CFCWriter/status/960646177493528583
“I am not worried about my job,” Antonio Conte said, just a couple days after he asked for club leadership to grant him a public vote of confidence (it never came, and almost certainly never will).
“I work every day, and I give 120%. If this is not enough then it is OK… No, I am not worried. Tomorrow is another day. I can be Chelsea coach or not. My soul is clear. I go to sleep without a problem.”
If you want to speculate further about his future, to try and read in between the lines by evaluating the Italian’s body language, here is the video footage to accompany those quotes below:
Conte claims he isn't worried about his Chelsea job, but his body language tells a different story… pic.twitter.com/EZRDFxPitb
— GOAL News (@GoalNews) February 6, 2018
Yes, Conte is still the manager of the reigning Premier League champions, but that doesn’t buy you any job security at Stamford Bridge these days. Since 2010, the Chelsea of Roman Abramovich have been a trigger happy sacking club. They have sacked three different managers the season after they won the league, and another the campaign following up a Champions League winning year.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes regularly to WGN CLTV and the Tribune corporation blogging community Chicago Now.
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