Antonio Conte gives Chelsea players three days off after Watford drubbing

• Under-pressure manager prepares for West Brom match
• Club insist its business as usual as problems mount up

Antonio Conte has responded to Monday’s drubbing at Watford by granting his Chelsea players three days off to charge their batteries as the head coach desperately seeks to instigate a recovery in next week’s visit of West Bromwich Albion.

The 4-1 defeat at Vicarage Road was Chelsea’s third loss in four fixtures, and the first time they have been beaten by three goals in successive games since 1995. The thrashing left the champions only a point ahead of fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur and drew greater focus on to Conte’s position as head coach, with the Italian admitting post-match that his team are playing with fear and it would “be very difficult to turn the situation positive”.

Continue reading...