Antonio Conte sends warning to Tiemoue Bakayoko after Chelsea move
Antonio Conte says Tiemoue Bakayoko still has plenty of room for improvement at Chelsea
Antonio Conte has warned Tiemoue Bakayoko that he must improve the tactical aspect of his game if he wants to develop into a top player at Chelsea.
The midfielder joined the west London side from Monaco in the summer transfer window as Conte opted to let Nemanja Matic move to Manchester United.
Bakayoko has started two of Chelsea’s five Premier League games so far this season and also scored his first goal for the Blues in the 6-0 thrashing of Qarabag in the Champions League last week.
The France international started on the bench for Chelsea in their goalless draw with Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon as the Blues drew their first ever home game under Conte.
The Italian manager believes that Bakayoko has plenty of potential at Chelsea but also feels that the midfielder also has a lot of room for improvement.
Conte told a news conference before this weekend’s game: “I think Baka is a good player – he’s 23 years old, don’t forget this.
“He has a lot of room to improve in the tactical aspect. Also in the physical aspect.
“He’s working very well and he needs a bit more time than other players to understand our style of football very well.
“Above all, if you are a midfielder, you need time to understand the right position. We try to play with an identity and if you want to give an identity to your team, every single player needs to know your idea of football very well.
“I’m very happy because he’s improving a lot. In the last 10 days he improved a lot in the tactical aspect and physical aspect.”
Chelsea return to Premier League action next weekend when they take on Stoke City at the bet365 Stadium on Saturday.
The west London club are aiming to win the Premier League title for the second successive season after Conte’s appointment as the club’s new manager back in May of last year.
