Chelsea Coach Antonio Conte wants his players to forget about Christmas parties and focus on the title

Christmas is in the air but one man who doesn’t care much about it is Antonio Conte. The Chelsea manager has overseen a resurgence as the club have emerged genuine title contenders and he wants to keep it that way rather than get carried away with festive cheer.

Members of Chelsea’s playing squad and staff have enjoyed team bonding nights out in recent weeks while the club have also organised a family party but the Italian manager has made it clear that he’d prefer them to keep their seasonal celebrations to a minimum.

‘I must be honest, I’d prefer they stayed at home and celebrated with the family — not a great party,’ said Conte.

‘I’m sure I have great professionals in my players. In this case, I don’t think a coach or a manager can say: “do this” or “don’t do this”.

‘I have great professionals and I know they will have the better attitude and behaviour in this situation. I think a glass of wine, one, is good.

‘This is a new experience for me and my family. Usually, in the Christmas period, I’m used to having a break, a holiday with my family. Now it’s fantastic to have this new experience, to play during the Christmas period in a new country. In the past, I always watched these games in England on TV. Now, to live this situation, this atmosphere is fantastic.’