Antonio Conte said he predicted all of Chelsea's problems
But the defiant Italian is convinced he can fight his way out of trouble.
Chelsea face a resurgent Watford at Stamford Bridge this afternoon in their worst run of form in two years.
The dreaded prospect of three successive Premier League defeats lies in wait if Marco Silva’s team can register a fourth away win, having already beaten Bournemouth, Southampton and Swansea on their travels this season.
The last time a Chelsea manager lost three successive League games, in the autumn of 2015, he was sacked before Christmas. That was Jose Mourinho.
Conte, hit by a plague of injuries to key players, said that he did not know what sort of team he would be able to field against the Hornets but insisted that he had the experience to get Chelsea out of their rut.
I was a magician to anticipate this
Chelsea boss Antonio Conte
“I was a magician to anticipate this,” said Conte. “For sure, you hope you won’t have problems in your season.
“But I stay here to work. I stay here to put all of myself into this club, for the fans and the players. Me and my staff.
“I’m a person who is not afraid to face difficulties. My history speaks very clearly on that. I have fought in the relegation zone.
“I started my career very badly in my first experience of coaching but I understood and learned a lot. I have experience, a lot of experience, as a player and as a coach in facing this type of situation. But I was a magician to predict this.”
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In his first coaching job in 2006 at Arezzo, Conte lasted just three months before being sacked. In his second, at Bari, he inspired a successful campaign against relegation from Serie B and then led them to promotion.
Since the start of the season, Conte has made his feelings clear about what he saw as inadequate recruitment during the summer, and predicted it would be a “difficult” campaign.
With rumours circling that his players were not happy with the heavy workload in training, Conte, when asked if he had the support of the Chelsea board, said: “The only support I need is my job. The support is my work. I know only this support in my experience. I don’t know any other.
“To put all of myself into the job. If that is enough, okay. If not?”
And he shrugged.
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