Antonio Conte Reportedly Calls Chelsea Players 'Spineless' During Arsenal Defeat

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte tore into his “spineless” players at half-time during his team’s clash against Arsenal on Saturday.

That’s according to Matt Law of the Daily Telegraph, who stated the Italian held nothing back in his assessment of the display, with the Blues 3-0 down at the break; that's the way the scores stayed at the Emirates Stadium.

"Conte accused his Chelsea players of being 'spineless' and lacking a soul during a half-time inquest," Law said. "The squad can now expect to be treated to a video nasty of exactly what went wrong when they return to work [on Monday] after Conte resisted the temptation to cancel their day off."

The Blues' defensive play was diabolical in the opening exchanges, with Gary Cahill gifting possession to Alexis Sanchez to open the scoring. Theo Walcott added a second, capping a slick Arsenal move, before Mesut Ozil finished off a counter-attack to put the Gunners in dreamland.

Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

Recently Chelsea have been aggressive, compact and defensively sound in their visits to the Emirates; this display was the antithesis of all of those virtues. And Conte, it seems, will not tolerate performances of a similar nature after admitting some harsh things were said at half-time.

“I prefer to keep my words private, because it’s right when I talk with my players to keep what I tell them,” the former Juventus manager said, per Law. “This is normal. Because there are rules in the dressing room, and you must respect this. Sure I was angry, but my players were also angry.”

After winning his first three Premier League games in charge at Stamford Bridge, reality has bitten for Conte. As noted by Paul Brown of the Daily Star, there’s been a clear shift in the language the coach has used:

This job was always going to be one that needed time, though. Chelsea finished in 10th position last season, and although they have some world-class stars in Eden Hazard and Diego Costa, some longstanding problems were not addressed in the transfer window.

Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

David Luiz, while he’s performed to a decent level since his return in August, isn’t the commanding presence the Blues need to replace veteran captain John Terry at the back. Meanwhile, players such as Cahill, Branislav Ivanovic and Thibaut Courtois are in terrible runs of form.

Conte will need to be meticulous to ensure his methods are embraced by these Chelsea players. Nevertheless, Law thinks recent results will be a culture shock for the Blues boss:

That’s no wins in three league games for Chelsea, and in the last two matches in particular—losses to Liverpool and Arsenal—they’ve been left flailing against teams further along in their respective developments. It’s why the new manager needs patience to instil his vision and shape the squad in his image.

Conte’s track record suggests he’ll do that, having enjoyed success with Juventus and the Italy national side. The Premier League can be an unforgiving landscape, as he’s found out lately, although his focus, determination and will to win will surely rub off on the players in the long run.