Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has ‘spooked’ his title rivals, according to club legend Pat Nevin.
The Blues stretched their winning run to six games with a 2-1 win over the previously undefeated Tottenham Hotspur on the weekend.
Nevin says the tactics that Conte utilised in the victory at Stamford Bridge would have ‘spooked’ their forthcoming opposition.
Spurs took the lead early doors through Christian Eriksen but Chelsea came from behind through in-form pairing Pedro and Victor Moses, with Conte then ordering his side to hang on for the three points.
“What would have spooked the other teams watching was not only getting three points against close rivals when we played below par, but that our manager has got into a little habit of closing out games ruthlessly when we are ahead,” Nevin wrote in his column for Chelseafc.com.
“It was very apparent against Southampton but more so against Spurs.
“The introduction of Branislav Ivanovic near the end while dropping [Marcos] Alonso deeper to make it a monumental-looking back five, is a pretty chilling sight for any forward.
“Not many goals will be scored against those personnel and that formation, with two sitting midfielders in front of it and Thibaut Courtois behind! It looked like an almighty door being slammed shut on Tottenham’s ambitions when the boss made that move, and very Italian.”
The result kept Chelsea clear at the summit of the Premier League ladder, a point above Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool.
Next up for Chelsea is title rivals Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, with a 12:30pm kick-off.
By Drew Darbyshire (@DarbySports)
