Conte: We must bounce back from last season

Antonio Conte is confident that he and the players can guide Chelsea back to the fight for the Premier League following last season’s disappointing title defence, the club’s official website revealed.

The Italian has taken charge of three pre-season friendlies thus far, winning two, and has already received widespread praise from the players for his managerial style.

And Conte believes everyone at the club is focused on getting the blues back to where they belong and start fighting for the title once again.

We need to come back very soon in the right position because Chelsea is a great team in England and in the world, and it is right that we must come back to fight for the title. The players want to come back very soon to fight for the title. For me this is the most important thing.

Chelsea romped to an 8-0 victory in a behind-closed-doors friendly on Thursday afternoon and looked equally as impressive in the 3-0 victory over WAC RZ Pellets on Wednesday evening.

Conte recognises, however, that the Premier League is a different kettle of fish to pre-season, and returning to the top will not be easy.

But the Italian is confident from what he has seen of the players so far that Chelsea can fight for the league this season, emphasising the need for the squad to work together.

I know it’s not simple because there are many strong teams in England, but I am confident because we are working and I see the players with a great identity. What is important is the present, to work very hard all together. We know we have to fight together to come back to fight for the title. This is what the club wants, what the players want, what I want and what the fans want.

Conte has also had an instant positive impact on Blues fans, recognising the passion the fans have for the club, and how much it means to be fighting for trophies in major competitions.

It’s important we stay together and overcome this bad period for Chelsea and come back also to play the Champions League, because the Champions League is Chelsea’s home. We know this and we are trying to work hard to come back very soon. I want our fans to be very proud of the players, of the manager and of the club.