Antonio Conte had his ususal pre-match press conference today, and while he kept things pretty bland as usual, there was an odd moment at the end.
Conte was asked about Marcos Alonso’s inclusion in the PFA team of the year, which was released today. It was an obvious opportunity for the manager to compliment his player, but instead he took the chance to criticise him.
Conte on Marcso Alonso being voted in the PFA Team of the Year: "I am happy for him but in the last game he played badly." #CFC
— Nizaar Kinsella (@NizaarKinsella) April 18, 2018
The manager pointed out that he was disappointed by the Spaniard’s showing against Southampton at the weekend.
It rather took the gathered journalists aback, as they were expecting perhaps some more bland platitudes about how the newly capped Spain international had had a good season despite Chelsea’s myriad struggles.
We can read into these things too much at times, but it’s always rare for a manager to call out their player publicly like this, so it’s not that surprising that it raised some eyebrows around the room.
