Chelsea

Antonio Conte: 'Games will start to get tougher for Chelsea'

By Daniel Lewis, Senior Reporter | 01 January 2017

Conte: 'Games will get tougher for Chelsea'

Chelsea boss Antonio Conte believes that the second half of the season "will be difficult" for his side because they are no longer treated like underdogs for the title.

Antonio Conte has predicted a "difficult" second half to the campaign after guiding Chelsea six points clear at the top of the Premier League table.

The Italian's early-season tinkering has worked wonders for the Blues, as they have won 13 games in a row to equal a top-flight record for successive victories in a single campaign.

Conte admits that 2016-17 has been "incredible" for his side so far but, after hitting the midway point in the season with a 4-2 triumph over Stoke City on Saturday, the former Juventus manager claimed that life is about to start getting a little trickier.

"I think that the first part of the season was incredible for us, and it will be very difficult to repeat that," he told reporters. "It's a great achievement for us. It's important to know it isn't easy to repeat this run.

"The second part of the season, for me, will be difficult for us, because at the start of the season we started as the underdog, everyone underestimated us, but now the light is on us. We have to know this. We have to work more, harder, and to find the right solution to win every game, but it won't be easy."

Chelsea, who have won 16 of their 19 league games overall, return to action on Wednesday evening with a trip to face Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane.