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Antonio Conte provides masterclass in avoidance as Diego Costa's absence continues creating questions
It was all a piece of cake for Antonio Conte when Chelsea visited Leicester City last season and he was without striker Diego Costa.
Chelsea will once again be missing Costa on Saturday, but Conte is no longer finding the issue quite so easy to brush off and it could become even more difficult if sources are proved right and the 28-year-old returns next week.
Conte covered for Costa after he had demanded a move to China ahead of the trip to Leicester in January by saying last season’s top scorer had an injury and helped himself to a piece of a reporter’s cake before being bombarded by questions about the player’s future.
Chelsea had won 3-0 without Costa and Conte had played a public relations blinder, but, on Friday, the Italian could only provide a masterclass in avoidance ahead of another trip to the King Power Stadium without the Spain international.
Out of sight, out of mind has been Conte’s mantra regarding Costa since the start of the season, but that might have to change if, as his team-mates increasingly believe will happen, he calls off his strike and returns to London.
Telegraph Sport revealed this week that team-mates believe Costa is now considering returning to Chelsea to face his punishment for spending the summer in Brazil attempting to engineer a move to Atletico Madrid. Some sources think he could even be back in London as early as Monday.
He has been named in the club’s Premier League squad, but Chelsea will not discuss Costa’s whereabouts or the date of his potential return.
The Blues simply maintain Costa must return to fulfil the terms of his contract and train to make himself available for selection, while Conte will not offer any hints as to how he will deal with what still feels like a ticking time bomb.
“I think, when you are a manager or a coach, you must be prepared to face every situation,” said Conte. “Sometimes there are easy situations, sometimes difficult situations. But every manager has great experience to face this type of situation.”
With the Turkish window not shutting until the end of Friday, Costa had been linked with a loan move to Fenerbahce before Vincent Janssen left Tottenham Hotspur for Istanbul, while Besiktas were also credited with an interest.
But asked about Costa’s future, Conte said: “No news about him. I don't know. My focus is on English football and not Turkish football.”
Every other Costa-related question was passed over to Chelsea’s head of communications and Conte was similarly unwilling to expand on why Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Ross Barkley turned down moves to the Premier League champions in the final week of the transfer window.
“Now it's not important to look in the past because the past is the past,” said Conte. “We have to be focused on the present and the present is this. We are happy. I'm happy to work with this group of players and, at the end of the transfer market, two new players arrived in (Davide) Zappacosta and (Danny) Drinkwater. Now it's time to work together, to work with these new players, to adapt them quickly in our style of football.”
On £35m deadline-day signing Drinkwater, who he hinted is not ready to start against former club Leicester, Conte added: “Danny is a really good player who can help us.
“For me, the midfielders are very important because I need midfielders with specific characteristics. Danny has those. Now it's important for him to be 100 per cent fit, to recover the best physical condition and adapt himself to our style of football, and then he will be ready to advance and play with Chelsea.”