Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has hit out at his critics, precisely Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger, for their recent comments about the West London club. The Italian tactician was responding to initial claims made by the two managers that Chelsea were more privileged during the festive season.
Former Chelsea boss Mourinho was the first to voice his concerns over the club's 'flexible' fixtures. The Blues had more time to rest, having played their last league game on New Year's Eve against Stoke City. This is basically three days rest, compared to their opponets who had an average of 48 hours' rest. Arsenal manager, on the other hand, described the fixtures as the most 'uneven' he had ever seen in 20 years.
WATCH: Wenger demands 'fair' resting period
But according to Conte, there is more than what meets the eye as far as Mourinho and Wenger's rants are concerned. He told journalists:
"I think they are angry for our position not for the fixtures. It's normal, this also happens in Italy. It's always because you are top. I didn't do the fixtures.
"The advantage is one more day of rest over Tottenham. That's the advantage if we want to speak about advantages. But for me the advantages are other things.
"During a season different situations can happen when you can have an advantage, but not this. Before the Christmas period, we played three games in six days against West Brom, Sunderland and Crystal Palace. In these circumstances we showed good physical condition. I prefer it when there are many games in a few days because we worked hard for this."
Chelsea visit the White Hart Lane to face rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the London derby later today. The Blues will be hoping to become the first side to win 14 consecutive league games since Arsenal in 2002.
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