Conte: Chelsea’s impressive youngsters could be hindered by EFL Cup exit

After watching his side crash out of the EFL Cup at West Ham on Wednesday, Chelsea manager Antonio Conte admitted it was a big blow for the club’s youngsters in particular to be out of the competition.

The Blues went down 2-1 at the London Stadium, with Gary Cahill’s stoppage-time goal no more than a consolation after the hosts scored either side of the break through Cheikhou Kouyate and Edimilson Fernandes.

The game was marred by violent scenes towards the end between fans from either side of London, but Conte preferred to focus on the positives – with young guns Ola Aina and Nathaniel Chalobah deployed in the visitors’ midfield against an almost full-strength West Ham outfit.

But Conte hinted that it might be harder to select his starlets now his side are no longer involved in the EFL Cup, with Chelsea only fighting for silverware now on two fronts in the FA Cup and Premier League.

“I prefer to speak always about the whole team but I think this cup is very important to check the development of these young players,” he said.

“We have good young players and they need to play, and for this reason I am disappointed that we can’t play in the future. I think the youngsters played a good game with the right intensity and concentration.

(Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)

“When you lose it’s normal to see bad things but tonight I found a lot of positives.

“Usually you learn more after a defeat than a win but we must continue to work. I’m optimistic because I saw the right spirit and that’s very important. You can lose or win but you must have the right spirit. If I see that, I see a clear future.

“Tomorrow we start to work for Sunday’s game. We know we will play a very tough game against Southampton, who are in a good moment.”