Antonio Conte has said he and his players were given motivation by the press and people who thought Chelsea could only qualify for the Champions League this season.
After the calamity that was last season, in which Chelsea finished a shocking 10th having won the league the previous term, few backed the Blues to win the title this time around.
With Premier League novice Conte being drafted in over the summer the expectation among the majority was that the Blues would compete for a place in the top four but nothing more.
However they find themselves on the verge of winning the Premier League title and in the final of the FA Cup.
Conte says those low expectations spurred him and his team on.
‘The expectation for Chelsea at the start of the season wasn’t high. I think the expectation was to try to fight and to arrive in the Champions League.
‘I think this situation pushed me a lot – the players and I – to try to change the opinion of the press, of the people who look at the football every week.’
Conte admits however that while the motivation was there, he still didn’t expect his start at Chelsea to be so successful.
‘For sure [I’ve exceeded my own expectations]. This is my first season. Is very good for me because for me this is a great experience. This is the first time to work in another country as coach. Different language, different habit.
‘I think that I satisfied for my impact in this league. But for sure now I want to arrive at the end and try to win with my players with the club and with our fans. After a really good season like this it’s important to become a fantastic season and there is only one way to become a fantastic season – to win.’
Chelsea continue their pursuit of the title with a home match against Middlesbrough on Monday. If Tottenham win against West Ham on Friday the gap at the top could be just one point.
‘Every game in this part of the season is a single test and is a tough test for us,’ Conte told Sky Sports. ‘Because in this part of the season is very difficult if you make mistakes. It’s very difficult then to recover. For this reason it’s very important to keep right concentration and be focused. To play game by game. So in this case Middlesbrough for us must be a final.’
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