Antonio Conte's faults and how they've been exposed at Chelsea

From his relationship with the Stamford Bridge hierarchy to attacking inconsistences, Conte's flaws at Chelsea have come to seriously hinder his cause

Chelsea's struggles have led to larger questions - like just how much of this current malaise is down to Conte (Getty)

Those who know Antonio Conte well were stunned. Put bluntly, they’d never known him like this, or seen him like this. As Watford just kept surging through Chelsea to subject the champions to their second successive heavy defeat, the Italian stood there stony-faced. There was none of the sideline animation that has come to characterise Conte’s career, none of the vigour.

That did admittedly come later, in the Vicarage Road dressing room and the press conference, but associates of the 48-year-old couldn’t help wonder whether there was an exceedingly rare sense of resignation about the title-winner - even if he wouldn’t actually resign.

It was odd, though. A manager who has always been an utter force of personality was suddenly so passive. It has also led to larger questions - like just how much of this current malaise is down to Conte.

The general feeling is that the Chelsea hierarchy have failed to properly back him after winning the title and thereby made it impossible to retain it, and while that is broadly true, it’s still possible that he has exacerbated some issues.

Whereas 2016-17 saw every Conte decision proved right, this season has seen more go wrong. Those close to the squad feel there are key areas where the Italian hasn’t helped himself.

Relationship with the Stamford Bridge hierarchy

It is something that actually became an issue in his first summer at the club in 2016, and has never really gone away, as he likely faces his last few months. Fundamentally, Conte and Chelsea just have different views on the type of players they should be signing. They have gradually developed a policy whereby they want to bring in the best 20- to 24-year-olds, and he wanted experience. That difference would still have been easily manageable, except it became just another complication when the club failed to get specific targets the Italian he wanted, and Conte responded in what many felt was a needlessly abrasive way.

The hierarchy have not liked how he has approached the situation or some of his media comments, and relationships with some executives are highly strained. There was also the manner his man-management influenced business given how he dealt with Diego Costa in the summer, creating a similarly unnecessary problem for Chelsea. A lot of this naturally led to the curious situation where he signed a new contract in the summer but didn’t actually extend the time, something that immediately would have alerted the players to the fact he may not be here for long, with everything that entailed. Then there is the feeling that his willingness to so openly talk about some problems has occasionally played into an air of negativity.

The hierarchy have not liked how Conte has approached Chelsea's current struggles (Getty)

Adjustment to more congested fixture list

If Chelsea’s main problem here is that they haven’t given Conte a big enough squad, many around the Cobham base believe he should have adjusted to that by reining in some of his more rigorous training. Some players now feel that, given the extra number of fixtures they have this season as they play in the Champions League, the long hard physical sessions are unnecessary. Worse, what super-powered them last season is just sapping energy in this campaign. It is one reason why a side that was once so forceful has recently looked so leggy. Conte has shown a stubbornness there, but his decision to give the squad time off this week may represent a realisation.

Conte's demanding approach to the game has taken its toll on Chelsea's players (Getty)

Attacking inconsistency

As last season proved, there probably isn’t a coach in the modern game as good as Conte at quickly assessing what he’s got in his team and successfully adapting to maximise their qualities. It’s just that no manager can do this indefinitely, and it is further complicated when you have fewer tactical options and less time between games to work with the players. Conte hasn’t yet adapted to that, or found solutions that will consistently pay off. Any workable approaches, as with the big win away to Brighton and Hove Albion, have only proven temporary. More confusing decisions, like the role of Tiemoue Bakayoko, have meanwhile been fixed. This is one area where many around the squad have sympathy for the manager, though, because it keeps coming back to that lack of personnel.

The long and short of it is that it has led to a lack of attacking outlets in many games. A team that last season swarmed opponents has instead become much more like the 2015-16 side, and much more reliant on Eden Hazard for creativity. An odd staleness has gripped the side of a manager who usually offers energy and sophistication.

Relationship with some players

While it’s difficult not to have sympathy for Alvaro Morata, and almost impossible not to have some for Conte in general, so much of this comes back to one issue that brings in a lot of these problems: the treatment of Costa. The Italian’s message to him immediately complicated their transfer business, but also their attack, given how specifically suited the senior Spanish striker seemed to be for the manager’s approach.

Conte's handling of the Diego Costa saga exacerbated matters (Getty Images)

Even beyond that, he was so adept at coming up with a goal out of nothing, on one of those days when nothing else was happening. Some around the squad think that made Conte’s treatment of him all the more needless, and a feeling is that it has been someway echoed in a hardline approach to players like David Luiz and Michy Batshuayi. That has only exacerbated the effect of bad results, leading to an unsettled mood in the dressing room.

The bottom line is that none of it is coming to Conte as naturally as it did last season.