Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has said that his side are a ‘great team only on paper’ after their 3-0 loss to Arsenal in the London derby.
The Blues poor showing in the first half meant Arsenal were three goals up at half time. The result meant Chelsea are now at an eighth position in the league as they managed only ten points so far from six games and are already eight points adrift of the leaders Manchester City.
The Blues attackers have also failed as they managed their first shot on target in the 82nd minute of the game and questions are being raised after consecutive defeats to Liverpool and Chelsea.
“What happened? I think from the first minute we didn’t have the right attitude,” Conte told BT Sport. “I think we played a bad game against a tough team, very organised, very prepared in the tactical physical aspect.
“I think that after today we are thinking that we must work a lot because now we are a great team only on paper.”
The Gunners were off to a flier after Gary Cahill’s misplaced pass to Courtois has helped Sanchez open the scoring and their defenders looked awful throughout the first half. However, Conte has had criticism on the entire tea rather than a single player.
“I don’t want to talk about the mistakes because it’s not right for the player,” Conte said. “We win as a team, we lose as a team. We know we must work a lot and if someone thinks this team now is ready to fight, I think we must wait and work to improve a lot and to come back a great team not only on paper, but on the pitch.”
Asked about the attacking players like Hazard and Diego Cost failing to impact the match, Conte added: “I think it’s always a team problem, not an individual player.
“If the team works, the individual players play a good game. When nothing works, it’s very difficult for individual players to play a good game.”
The Blues will now have to reorganize quickly as they will face Hull City next weekend in an attempt to get back to winning ways.