Antonio Conte addressed rumours of Carlo Ancelotti replacing him last week (Picture: Getty)
Antonio Conte addressed rumours of Carlo Ancelotti replacing him last week (Picture: Getty)

Frank Lampard believes Chelsea’s players will have loved Antonio Conte’s reaction to reports that Carlo Ancelotti was being readied as his replacement.

Conte steered Chelsea to the Premier League title last season but has found the going tougher this time around. The Blues have tasted defeat on three occasions already this term and have slipped nine points behind pacesetters Manchester City.

Following an indifferent run of form Conte was faced with speculation that former Chelsea boss Ancelotti was set to succeed him at the end of the season, but ahead of last weekend’s win at Bournemouth the former Juventus boss dismissed those reports as ‘b******t’.

Rather than the response of a man feeling the pressure, Lampard believes Conte remains in total control of his emotions and his players will have been impressed by his latest show of commitment.

‘A lot was made of his comments about the speculation going on at Stamford Bridge but I could understand why he spoke out and the players will, too,’ he told the Evening Standard.

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‘I don’t think it is a bad thing that he showed his emotions. He is pretty cool headed most of the time. But sometimes if you have to say something, you should say it as a manager.

‘As a player I would be happy with the idea of Conte defending himself and the team as a whole. I would appreciate him nipping it in the bud.

Carlo Ancelotti won the double with Chelsea but was recently sacked by Bayern Munich (Picture: Getty)

‘You have to react at certain times. If you always keep your mouth shut, maybe you’re letting things run away that you shouldn’t do. Of course, pressure is not new to him.

‘All the talk over Conte’s position is premature. Obviously, some of the stuff being said stems from the fact that Chelsea have a history of changing managers – so the moment there is any mention of discourse, then people will start to think it’s the same old story.

‘I think Chelsea fans have become slightly immune to it all and so it comes just back to what is happening on the pitch.’