Chelsea head coach Antonio Conte said he was not scared to carry on fielding youngsters in his team after they beat Brentford 4-0 in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday.
Conte started five players aged 23 or younger against West London rivals Brentford, a game that Chelsea comfortably saw out in a 4-0 victory.
And the Italian boss claims he is not scared to field the youngsters, stating that is is very important that they grow and improve with the club.
“Our young players are growing and for me and the club that is very important because this season we do not have the Champions League or the Europa League, so we only have the league and the FA Cup,” he said.
“And the FA Cup is a good opportunity to see the improvement of these young players and I am satisfied with what I saw today. But for sure these young players are very important for me and the cub and if they deserve to play, I am ready to put them in the team.
“I am not scared of the young players, but the only thing that I ask is that they must be ready to play.”
This includes Michy Batshuayi, who rounded off the win after he converted a penalty to take Chelsea’s tally for the day to 4, which earned his performance praise from Conte.
“To score a goal is always important for a player,” he said. “Batshuayi’s performance was good, I saw great commitment, he worked very hard for the team and for sure he is improving. And step by step he is increasing his knowledge about our football and philosophy.
“But now it is important to keep working this week and to always show me the right commitment and the will to improve.”
When asked about the chances of Chelsea completing a double this season, Conte responded:
It is important to keep on working very hard, as only by working can dreams happen,” said Conte. “I think for us to stay top of the league is a dream, because if you remember our start to the season. But now we are doing very well. We are ready to fight to stay on top of the league and now we must fight with five teams to keep our position.
“The FA Cup, our target was to go to the next round, it has happened and now it is important to see the draw and I hope to play the next game at home again.
“But it is important to take it game by game in the FA Cup and the league. But for sure, nothing will be easy in the FA Cup or the league.”
