Antonio Conte arrived in London with plans to turn Chelsea’s ‘flickering flame’ into a ‘blazing inferno’. Alas, the fire is almost out.
Conte was not the same touchline spirit at Watford on Monday as he was last season. When Eden Hazard equalised late on he barely flinched.
Instead he fixed his players with a glare of contempt, and then questioned their character when he came to speak after the crushing 4-1 defeat.
If he is tired of their antics, and his energy has been sapped, the feeling seems to be mutual.