Conte adamant Chelsea will not become complacent

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte admits he is working round the clock to ensure his Blues side do not fall foul of overconfidence in the coming weeks.

Prior to the international break the Italian scooped October’s Manager of the Month award after leading the south-west Londoners to convincing victories over Hull, Leicester, Manchester United and Southampton.

A 5-0 win over Everton followed, and Chelsea have now hit 16 unanswered goals in the Premier League since their loss at Arsenal at the end of September.

But Conte is determined not to let his players drop their guard ahead of a crucial run of matches in the build up to Christmas, starting with Middlesbrough on Sunday.

“We have been working these days to avoid this,” he said.

“We are working to find the right concentration and the right focus because on Sunday we know we will have a tough game against a strong team that drew with Arsenal and Manchester City.

“I must be honest, there is this possibility that this right momentum will stop and we are working very hard to avoid this, and I am confident of finding the right way very quickly.

“For sure when you arrive in a new club and also in a new country, it is more difficult to bring your method, your idea, your philosophy and it be followed quickly – particularly if players are used to another philosophy.

“But I am pleased because from the start of the season I always saw the right work-rate, the right commitment from the players and it is normal that to understand the method, you need a bit of time, but now I am very glad to see they are adapted to this method.”