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Club record signing Alvaro Morata was left on the bench as Chelsea lost to Arsenal in penalties in the Wembley Stadium.
The Spaniard started the game from the bench and only came on just after 70 minutes of the game had been played.
Conte was asked by reporters after the game why he had to leave the £60 million signing on the bench, and the Blues boss retorted: “I don’t know why people are surprised because it is normal when a new player arrives and he needs more time to adapt to my method,” Conte told BT Sport.
“It is normal. It is very difficult to arrive one day and play the next.”
Chelsea will play Burnley on Saturday to start their defence of the Premier League title, and it’s expected that the Spain international will start for the Blues.
