As Chelsea boss Antonio Conte prepares to experience his first taste of playing football over the festive period, the Italian admits that former England coach Fabio Capello warned him about the busy festive schedule before he took the job at Stamford Bridge.
 

Conte explained ahead of Monday’s game against Bournemouth that; “I have this situation in England, and I heard a lot of coaches saying you should stop and have a winter break, above all with the national team. Capello always said the lack of a winter break penalised the national team. It's very difficult to reply to this question. To play in this period, the atmosphere we find in this period is very difficult to find in another period. It's fantastic.”  

He continued by stating that; “My wife and my daughter will arrive to celebrate Christmas at my house with my brothers, with my parents and the family. I think that's very good. This is the first experience for me and my family of playing football at this time of year. It can be, and I hope it will be, a fantastic experience. It's very strange for us. In this period, we're used to going on holiday for a week. Sometimes we went to Lecce, sometimes in Torino, once we went in Dubai. But it's important for me, at Christmas, to stay with my family. You have to celebrate Christmas with the family. It's not important where you stay, but it's important to stay together with your family."


Steve Mitchell @barafundler