
Photo: Laurence Griffiths
Chelsea’s lead at the top of the table was cut to seven points at the weekend following a shock defeat to Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge.
Despite the shock defeat to Crystal Palace, ex-Liverpool player Dietmar Hamann doesn’t expect Chelsea to choke and lose the title just as Liverpool did in 2014. However, Hamann believes Antonio Conte’s biggest problem will be stopping complacency from creeping into his dressing room.
Hamann told Paddy Power: “Up until the Crystal Palace defeat on Saturday, quite a few Chelsea players probably wouldn’t have even checked the remaining fixtures. I’m sure they’ll be looking at them now.
“There’ll be a few doubts because they’ll want to know how many points are needed to win the Premier League.
“Psychologically, things could change for the Blues after that defeat.
“Stopping complacency from creeping into his dressing room will be Antonio Conte’s biggest test to date.
“This is where, as a manager, you earn your money, because you need to ensure your team are in the right frame of mind to close it out. It’s important to find the right words to relax his players and focus on the task at hand.
“In Conte, Chelsea have the best man for the job, as he’s shown by winning three Italian league titles.
“The top teams win titles because they’re not complacent and they know how to win matches.
“I don’t believe this Chelsea side will make the same mistake Liverpool did a few seasons back and overthink their way out of a title.”