Antonio Conte explains struggles of Chelsea pair Tiémoué Bakayoko and Danny Drinkwater
The Blues boss insists both midfielders need more time to adjust at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has called for patience over summer signings Danny Drinkwater and Tiemoue Bakayoko, insisting the pair are still settling into life at Stamford Bridge.
Timeoue, a summer signing from Monaco, has endured a difficult week for the Blues, at fault for Atletico Madrid's goal in a Champions League group match last Tuesday before being off at half-time in the defeat to West Ham United over the weekend.
Drinkwater meanwhile suffered a calf injury shortly after signing for the club on transfer deadline day, delaying his debut for the Premier League champions by almost two months. The England international has managed just two starts since coming into the first-team and was not in the squad as the Blues lost at the London Stadium.
Speaking at his press conference ahead of Tuesday's Premier League clash against Huddersfield Town, Conte insisted the duo must be given time to adjust to their new surroundings.
"I am very happy to work with my players. It is normal when you are starting to change, to create a base and a fundamental for Chelsea it is normal to be having patience when working with new players," Conte said, football.london report.
"They need a bit of time to adapt in our idea of football and this league, this is not simple. This season we changed. For many reasons a couple of players, Drinkwater and Bakayoko, they started to work with us very late. The most important thing is to have the will to work every day."
Returning to action just three days after their 1-0 defeat in east London, Conte hinted he will make changes to hand a rest to some of the more tired members of his squad for the visit to the Terriers.
"We worked only today with the players that played against West Ham. When you have to play after two days you have to be ready and smart to prepare the game quickly and try to find the best solution for the team. Especially a lot of players are playing a lot of games. It means someone is a bit tired and I have to find the best solution and find the right balance."
