Antonio Conte's return to Italian soccer on Tuesday proved such a chastening experience as he watched his Chelsea side dismantled by AS Roma in the Champions League that he worries it could be set for a "very difficult" season.
A downbeat Conte said he and his players all had to take responsobility for the 3-0 capitulation in Group C, which equaled the biggest he has suffered in his Chelsea reign, and needed to rediscover its hunger for battle quickly.
Chelsea's Thibaut Courtuis, whose second-half saves kept the score down, was also baffled by how the Premier League champion lost its "fighting spirit" after halftime as it became the first English side to lose in the Champions League this season.
Two first-half goals from Stephan El Shaarawy seemed to break Chelsea's spirit to such an extent that after the break it was both so disorganized at the back and careless with its distribution that it bore no resemblance to the efficient outfit that was so hard to breach last season.
After Diego Perotti made it 3-0, Conte told BT Sport: "Roma showed more will to fight and more desire to win the game. For this performance, we all have to take responsibility.
"When you concede three goals, you must be worried. It means something doesn't work," he added, as quoted by Reuters.
Talking to Sky Sports, he said: "This season will be very difficult if we don't understand quickly the right way that we have to go.
"Last season we showee great hunger, great will to do something of importance. If we think that only because our name is Chelsea and the opponent has fear (of) the name Chelsea, I think this is not the right way.
"We must find the hunger that we showed in all last season and in this season sometimes."
Conte has cut a restless figure all season with Chelsea's Premier League title defense having having been underwhelming as it lays nine points off the leaders Manchester City.
Increasing media speculation about Conte being replaced at Stamford Bridge by compatriot Carlo Ancelotti also left him uncharacteristically irritable at a news conference last week.
Yet he seems even more exasperated whit what he is seeing on the field, Chelsea's woeful defending in the Stadio Olimpico on Tuesday making him wish aloud that such a performance was for "one night only."
The evidence, though, is that a lack of confidence is infecting his previously mean rear-guard, as shown in particular by the lack of communication between Antonio Rudiger and his fellow defenders which led to El Shaarawy's second goal.
"We have to fight back on Sunday (in the Premier League clash with Manchester United) and shows the fans this was an off-day," Courtuis told BT Sport.
The only good newa for Chelsea was that Atletico Madrid's shock home draw against Qarabag in the other Group C fixture meant the London side only needs one win from ITS final two games to ensure qualification for the knockout stages.
Reuters/Rome
A downbeat Conte said he and his players all had to take responsobility for the 3-0 capitulation in Group C, which equaled the biggest he has suffered in his Chelsea reign, and needed to rediscover its hunger for battle quickly.
Chelsea's Thibaut Courtuis, whose second-half saves kept the score down, was also baffled by how the Premier League champion lost its "fighting spirit" after halftime as it became the first English side to lose in the Champions League this season.
Two first-half goals from Stephan El Shaarawy seemed to break Chelsea's spirit to such an extent that after the break it was both so disorganized at the back and careless with its distribution that it bore no resemblance to the efficient outfit that was so hard to breach last season.
After Diego Perotti made it 3-0, Conte told BT Sport: "Roma showed more will to fight and more desire to win the game. For this performance, we all have to take responsibility.
"When you concede three goals, you must be worried. It means something doesn't work," he added, as quoted by Reuters.
Talking to Sky Sports, he said: "This season will be very difficult if we don't understand quickly the right way that we have to go.
"Last season we showee great hunger, great will to do something of importance. If we think that only because our name is Chelsea and the opponent has fear (of) the name Chelsea, I think this is not the right way.
"We must find the hunger that we showed in all last season and in this season sometimes."
Conte has cut a restless figure all season with Chelsea's Premier League title defense having having been underwhelming as it lays nine points off the leaders Manchester City.
Increasing media speculation about Conte being replaced at Stamford Bridge by compatriot Carlo Ancelotti also left him uncharacteristically irritable at a news conference last week.
Yet he seems even more exasperated whit what he is seeing on the field, Chelsea's woeful defending in the Stadio Olimpico on Tuesday making him wish aloud that such a performance was for "one night only."
The evidence, though, is that a lack of confidence is infecting his previously mean rear-guard, as shown in particular by the lack of communication between Antonio Rudiger and his fellow defenders which led to El Shaarawy's second goal.
"We have to fight back on Sunday (in the Premier League clash with Manchester United) and shows the fans this was an off-day," Courtuis told BT Sport.
The only good newa for Chelsea was that Atletico Madrid's shock home draw against Qarabag in the other Group C fixture meant the London side only needs one win from ITS final two games to ensure qualification for the knockout stages.
Reuters/Rome
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