Chelsea manager Antonio Conte. (Photo : Getty Images)
New head coach Antonio Conte had recently said that he is not afraid to include his club Chelsea FC as one of the main contenders for the 2016-2017 Premier League title and had also dubbed Spanish striker Diego Costa as an "important player" for the Stamford Bridge giants' championship aspirations moving forward.
The Italian manager's claim came after new Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho's recent comments about how the other English top flight managers "lacked the courage to name the teams they coach as being title favorites" in the current season, as per Caught Offside.
After Mourinho disclosed that he is confident the Red Devils are one of the candidates to win the English domestic title at the end of the term, he accused his fellow Premier League managers of cowardice, saying that "many more think the same way as us but they are afraid to say it. They prefer to play a defensive game in words".
However, Conte had something to say about that, although he did not particularly mention that his statement was a direct response to his United rival.
"No. I must be honest I think that other things scare me, not to win or lose in football," said Conte, via SkySports. "I think that in this league it's very tough, and I think that at the moment six, seven, eight teams can fight to win the title."
"And I'm sure Chelsea is a good team and we must work very hard to be in the six, seven teams that fight for the title," he said.
Other than that, the 47-year-old Italian mentor praised his current first-choice lead striker Costa, who he said is the team's "key man" this season if they want to become Premier League champions.
He also disclosed that he plans to use Costa as a "focal point" and remove him from his "roving role" last season with Mourinho and former interim manager Guus Hiddink.
"Diego is a forward, and he knows that in my idea of football, the forward must always be a point of reference for the team," Conte said. "I don't like the forward to move around the pitch, I like the forward to stay there, because you are a forward, and your commitment is to score the goal, stay in the right position."
"For me he's an important player, he had a fantastic season two years ago when Chelsea won the title," he added.
