Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has admitted that he is finding it a lot tougher to retain the Premier League compared to his time in Serie A with Juventus.
The Blues cantered to the title in the Italian's first campaign at the helm last time out, racking up a record number of wins along the way.
Chelsea have stuttered somewhat this term, however, dropping points in three of their seven outings so far to find themselves down in fourth place.
Conte, who won three successive top-flight crowns while in charge of Juve, confessed on the back of his side's 1-0 loss to Manchester City that he now has his work cut out to achieve a similar feat in West London.
"We won the title with Juventus and I was expecting a really strong challenge from AC Milan, but instead they sold Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva to Paris Saint-Germain, so they became weaker," he told reporters. "It wasn't simple second time, but it was easier. Here, from last season to this season, you have big teams and now they are bigger.
"I think last season we did a really great job, because we won the league against a really strong team, because Man City last season also was a fantastic team. And now after I think a great transfer market, they have improved a lot. It's not simple to play this league.
"We have to try to do our best in every game with great ambition, because we must always have the right ambition. But at the same time sometimes you have to compliment your opponent. You must be honest and accept the result."
Chelsea have now dropped eight points in four Premier League games at Stamford Bridge in 2017-18 - two more than in the whole of last season.
Daniel Lewis
