Conte committed to Chelsea despite Italy interest

LONDON: Antonio Conte insists speculation over his job will not derail his attempt to get his struggling Chelsea side back on track in the fight for a top-four finish in the Premier League.

The English champions need to bounce back from a humiliating 3-0 home thrashing by Bournemouth on Wednesday, which put further strain on Conte’s relationship with the Chelsea hierarchy, after the Italian described his preparations for the match a ‘disaster’ due to a busy few days of transfer business before the January window closed.

However, Conte, who led Chelsea to the title in a spectacular opening campaign in England last season, reiterated his intention to at least see out his contract until 2019 despite speculation he could return to fill the vacant position as coach of the Italian national team.“I still have 18 months on my contract with Chelsea,” said the Italian. “My intention, my will, my desire is to respect this contract.”

Bournemouth’s victory at Stamford Bridge in midweek brought back memories of Chelsea’s opening day collapse at home to Burnley in an early sign that a bigger challenge awaited Conte in his second season.