LONDON -- Antonio Conte has praised Oscar for enabling him to build a more balanced Chelsea team this season, but warned that Cesc Fabregas is pushing hard for the Brazilian's starting spot with recent improvements in training.
After a summer of intense speculation that saw him persistently linked with Juventus, Oscar has re-emerged as a key figure at Stamford Bridge under Conte, who has picked the 25-year-old to start in each of his first four Premier League matches as Chelsea head coach.
The Blues have taken 10 points from those games and can go top of the table for 24 hours if they beat Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on Friday -- a far cry from the beginning of last season, when Jose Mourinho's men drew at home to Swansea City and suffered damaging defeats against Manchester City and Crystal Palace.
Conte believes that key to this improvement are the qualities of Oscar, deployed alongside Nemanja Matic and summer signing N'Golo Kante in a three-man midfield that has offered greater tenacity than last season.
Asked why Oscar had become so key to his plans, Conte said: "I always thought that this team needed to find a good balance when you have the ball and, above all, when you don't have the ball.
"Last season Chelsea conceded 55 goals. I was thinking of this situation. Now, we have found the right compromise between defensive and offensive situations. Oscar is a good player with great technique, and can do both facets: offensive and defensive.
"I asked him to stay always focused on the game, to stay in the game. He's an important player for Chelsea: good passing, good technique. He can also score a goal. He sees the goal very well."
"I know that I have to choose 11 players but it can happen that, if at one moment I decide to play with Cesc, another player must stay on the bench. I want to see the same attitude, the same behaviour from Cesc."
Chelsea have kept just one clean sheet in five matches under Conte despite their overall improvement, and the absence of injured captain John Terry against Liverpool -- with deadline day signing David Luiz set to make his Blues return in place of the 35-year-old -- has further raised supporter fears.
Conte believes the key to eradicating Chelsea's defensive problems is concentration. "We are working on this, working a lot on this aspect," he added. "It's not easy. This season, we kept a clean sheet only once, only Burnley, and I always repeat to my players: we must feel the danger.
"The English league is very difficult, very tough, and it's difficult to manage a result at 1-0 or 2-0. It's easier to do that in Italy where you can control the situation. In England in the last 20 minutes, anything can happen.
"For this reason, we must feel the dangers for the whole 95 minutes and never relax. Never. This league is so tough. One long ball and you can concede a goal."