Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has said that the current Premier League season is proof that it’s not only the biggest spenders that win titles.
“I think this season it’s very important to understand that it’s not always about who spends more money who wins. Otherwise, in this league, this season the name of the team [at the top] would not be Chelsea or Tottenham or Arsenal or Liverpool,” he was reported as saying by ESPN. Conte’s Chelsea sit four points clear at the top of the Premier League table, ahead of Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United.
Chelsea spent £123.45 million on four players last summer, behind only Manchester City (£174.05 million) and Manchester United (£149.55 million).
Asked if he expects Manchester City and United to again spend heavily in the upcoming summer transfer window, Conte said, “Yeah, but like every year. You’ve seen the past. You can see that every season they spend a lot of money... This season isn’t the only season the Manchester clubs have spent a lot of money. Look at the past. It’s normal. It’s right for them to do this, to reinforce their teams, if they think this is the right way to win the title.”
Conte then clarified that each club should decide its own spending strategy depending on their resources. “In every situation, it’s important to find the right balance,” he said. “If you have to spend money, try and spend that money in the right way to take players with the right characteristics for your idea of football...Every single team, it’s right to do what they think is best for them. I don’t want to go into the situation of the other teams, other clubs, other managers. Every single club decides their own strategy.”
‘Don’t want to buy selfish player’
Conte wants playmaker Eden Hazard to keep putting the needs of the team ahead of his own personal glory after his starring role in the FA Cup semi-final win over Tottenham Hotspur.
The Belgium international came off the bench to inspire the Blues to a 4-2 win over London rivals Spurs at Wembley on Saturday as Premier League leaders Chelsea stayed on course for a domestic double.
Afterwards Chelsea team-mate Cesc Fabregas said Hazard was second in ability in the world game only to Barcelona great Lionel Messi and could yet get even better if he was more “selfish” and demonstrated a greater “killer instinct”.
But Conte was happy with the progress Hazard was making playing just as he is now and that the only way to become a truly great footballer was to put the team first.
“The first target for every great champion is to play for the team and to put your talent in the team,” Conte said. “I don’t think that a player like Messi is a selfish player. The best players in the world don’t exist without the team.”
The former Italy manager added, “For me, it’s sad when I listen to this, that one player must be more selfish to reach the top level. This is not my idea of football. I never will understand this. Never. In my team I don’t want selfish players. I prefer to lose a game, than to have a selfish player. I don’t want this, I can’t accept this. I don’t want my club to one day buy me a selfish player, never.”
‘Great’ to reach FA Cup final
Conte, whose side face Arsenal in next month’s final, could win both the Premier League and the FA Cup in his first season in England. Conte’s men, however, have lost two of their last four matches – against Crystal Palace and Manchester United – to turn what threatened to be a procession into a genuine title race.
Chelsea will look to get back to winning ways in the league when they welcome Southampton to Stamford Bridge on Tuesday. In the meantime Conte was unsure if the FA Cup result would have an impact upon Spurs’ bid to be crowned champions of England for the first time since they did the double back in 1961.
“Honestly, I don’t know,” Conte said. “I think for us it was important this win. You reach the final in the FA Cup, a great competition. And for us it’s great. These are two different competitions and we have six games to go. It’s important to start this rush [of fixtures] very well, to try to keep these four points [lead].”
Chelsea will face the Saints with midfielder N’Golo Kante having been named the Professional Footballers’ Association player of the year on Sunday. Kante won the Premier League title with Leicester City last season and Conte said of his PFA triumph: “We must be proud for him. It’s a great achievement.”
With inputs from AFP