Barcelona boss on claims he could hammer final nail in Conte coffin

Believing he had earned himself protection from the Chelsea owner’s autocratic approach by masterminding an impressive title charge previous year, Conte overestimated the strength of his position by making Abramovich wait for a decision on his future when a new, improved contract was drawn up by the club. The Defending in Numbers podcast are unsure if Chelsea will finish in the top four this season, regardless of whether Conte stays or leaves.

But the Brazilian had a game to forget as 10-man Chelsea conceded three goals in seven minutes after Eden Hazard had brought the Premier League champions level with eight minutes to play. ‘The arguments Conte is having with the board, essentially telling them to sack him if they aren’t happy with the job he’s doing, will have a detrimental effect on the players – whether he’s right or not, ‘ Ince said. In light of Chelsea’s recent history, there has been plenty of reasonable conjecture suggesting that he will be departing the club sooner rather than later. In his three years managing the club, the 48-year-old won a Serie A titles for each season during his tenure.

Let’s be honest, Mourinho’s behaviour, triggered by the realisation that the guarantees he received that he would be in full control were empty promises, was so bad that I gave all the players a pass. “Performance-wise, I didn’t recognise us or myself”. It was abysmal. We just need to keep strong. Come alongside us.’ Those are the two you’d look at.

“That’s why we love football – if there is only one team that wins it would be boring. What is the pressure?”

Terry ended his 22-year spell with Chelsea at the end of last season and has since joined Aston Villa.

“The most frustrating thing is he seems to have brought so much of this situation down on himself, with the public speaking and the complaining”.

He added: “I do not think he will be back in the national team, we will see him again in club teams”. I don’t know about this but everyone has to understand the utility of something. But this is Roman Abramovich’s Chelsea and the owner has never been shy about pulling the trigger if he feels that any imminent targets are about to be missed.