Hull City vs. Chelsea: Antonio Conte's Key Pre-Match Press Conference Comments

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte confirmed that he has met with club owner Roman Abramovich following the Blues' recent poor form but would not be drawn on whether he is planning a squad overhaul in January. 

Matt Hughes in the Times recently reported that Abramovich has agreed to bankroll a squad rebuild in the new year after Conte told him players such as Nemanja Matic, Oscar, Branislav Ivanovic and Gary Cahill are no longer capable of winning the Premier League.

Speaking ahead of Chelsea's trip to Hull City on Saturday in the English top flight, Conte said it was more important to focus on the present than on future transfers but did confirm he had talked with Abramovich, per Goal's Nizaar Kinsella:

Chelsea's last Premier League victory came in late August, a 3-0 win over Burnley. They have since drawn with Swansea City and suffered defeats to Liverpool and Arsenal.

As discussed by a Bleacher Report panel, Chelsea's defence is a significant problem and crumbled in their 3-0 defeat to the Gunners last time out in the absence of injured skipper John Terry:

Unfortunately for Chelsea, Conte confirmed the 35-year-old centre-back will not be available for the visit to Hull and so will not return to action until after the upcoming international break, per the Daily Mail's Sam Cunningham:

The Tigers started the 2016-17 league season impressively with two victories but have picked up just a point from their last six outings.

In the corresponding fixture in 2014-15—the last time Hull were in the Premier League—Chelsea prevailed 3-2 at what was then the KC Stadium.

Despite recent form, the Blues are still favourites to win again on Saturday, and Conte said he has picked up some important lessons from his side's back-to-back league defeats, per Chelsea:

A third consecutive loss, especially against a side of Hull's calibre, would signal something of a crisis for Chelsea.

But should they claim a routine victory, they would remain, at most, eight points back from the top of the Premier League table, and it would provide a much-needed boost after a torrid month.