Antonio Conte tore into Chelsea flops as he faces midfield injury crisis for Manchester United clash
Blues boss let rip in angry dressing room blast at his players after Roma defeat but he faces more fitness worries ahead of crunch clash with United this week
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ANTONIO CONTE launched into a blistering attack on his Chelsea flops after their dismal defeat to Roma.
Conte was left fuming with the attitude and performance of his stars as they crashed to a 3-0 defeat to the Serie A side in the Champions League.
The Blues boss openly accused them of lacking the hunger needed when he spoke to the press in the aftermath of the damaging defeat.
But the Telegraph claim he also vented his frustrations to his players in a furious tirade that questioned their attitude and commitment.
The report claims the players were left in no doubt they would be axed unless they followed his strict orders.
Conte was said to be seething at the way his players had failed to take responsibility on the pitch - particularly with a poor second half display.
And one by one he picked apart the displays and attitudes of the majority of his squad as he gave them a serious going over at the club's Cobham training ground.
The Italian's stinging criticism came after the frustrations of the side's poor form over the past six weeks finally boiled over.
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The Chelsea boss is understood to be increasingly concerned of the behaviour of some his players this season.
It is in sharp contrast to the squad unity that was in place last year which provided the foundations for their Premier League title win.
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Conte is desperate to shake the players into life with the crunch clash with Manchester United this weekend.
With the side already nine points adrift of leaders Manchester City, defeat at Stamford Bridge would arguably leave their hopes of retaining the title over.
But going into the match the manager has fresh fitness concerns over the midfield area of his side that has been causing so many headaches in recent weeks.
N'Golo Kante has not played since the end of September because of a hamstring strain and though back in training, it would be a risk to throw him straight back into the side.
Tiemoue Bakayoko has been playing through the pain of a knee injury which ideally would see him sidelined had there been other options available.
And Cesc Fabregas is showing signs of becoming increasingly fatigued having had to play in every match because of the injuries to other players.
Danny Drinkwater returned to action in midweek and looks certain to start against United, although Conte is aware he is still short of full match fintess.