Fatigue the issue for goal-shy Chelsea – Conte

Antonio Conte believes fatigue is to blame for Chelsea’s run of three games without scoring a goal.

Chelsea were held to a third successive goalless draw at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, Leicester City taking a share of the spoils from this latest stalemate.

Championship side Norwich City kept Chelsea at bay in the FA Cup before Arsenal did the same in the EFL Cup semi-final first leg in midweek prior to Leicester earning a point in London.

And Conte, whose side are fourth in the Premier League table, three points ahead of fifth-placed Tottenham, blamed the impact of playing three games in a week for his side’s profligacy.

“We played [against Leicester] with almost the same players as against Arsenal,” he said. “My plan was to play with one team [in the] FA Cup against Norwich, and then to play these two games with almost the same players. But I think I saw a lot of players very tired.

“We suffered a lot the first half, we suffered a lot at the start of the second half. Then I think when I decided to put fresh energy, the game has changed.

“We tried to create a chance to score. We did not suffer defensively, and then we tried to win the game. I think at the end the result was fair.”

3 – Chelsea have drawn three consecutive games 0-0 in all competitions for the first time in their history. Blank.

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 13, 2018

Chelsea’s goalscoring woes have placed increased scrutiny on Alvaro Morata, who they signed to replace Diego Costa in the close-season, the Spaniard having found the net just three times in his last 11appearances.

Morata has not hit the target in his last five games but Conte insisted: “The problem is for the team, not only for Morata. Because compared with last season we are conceding less. We are showing great solidity defensively.

“But we are showing not great quality with our finishing, this is the truth.

“A lot of times at corners the defenders had the right chance to score and we didn’t take the chance. We have to try to improve under this aspect.”