Football
Liam Twomey, Chelsea correspondent 7y

Conte pressuring himself, Chelsea to reach heights of Man City's Guardiola

LONDON -- Antonio Conte said he doesn't know whether he is under as much pressure at Chelsea as Pep Guardiola is at Manchester City, but he is putting pressure on himself to reach the heights the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager has.

Guardiola and Conte will meet for the first time as coaches when Chelsea travel to the Etihad Stadium to face City on Saturday, with just one point separating the two teams at the top of the Premier League table after 13 matches.

In a summer that saw Jose Mourinho take over at Manchester United and Guardiola's long-awaited arrival in English football at City, Conte's appointment as Chelsea boss was greeted by far less fanfare, with many expecting the Italian to preside over a rebuilding job in his first season in the Premier League.

But Conte is adamant that he gave himself no such allowances on his arrival at Stamford Bridge, and says he is working hard to maintain Chelsea's title challenge.

Asked whether Guardiola is under more pressure than him this season, Conte replied: "I must be honest, I don't know -- but I know that I put great pressure on myself in every situation. In every team where I arrive, I try to win. Always. Also, when you understand it's very difficult, I put myself under a lot of pressure and try to transfer it onto the staff and on to my players."

Earlier this season Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp described Conte as "the Pep Guardiola of Juventus," and Guardiola himself has been quoted as saying that he sees elements of his personality and style in the Chelsea boss.

But while the comparison pleases Conte, he insists he has more work to do in order to justify it.

"I think that's a great compliment," Conte said of Klopp's comments. "I heard that Klopp said this because I had the possibility to build a clear idea of football at Juventus. That's a good compliment for me.

"It's difficult for me to give a judgement on myself. I prefer other people to give that. I know myself very well. I know that I put a lot of studying in on football to find a solution, I put a lot of time in my day on my work, and pressure on myself. I don't know if I am up in this table [of elite coaches] or at the bottom.

"Pep won a lot in his career. He won international trophies, not only in Spain but also in Germany. Now [he's] in England. He's the top."

Asked if winning the Premier League title would be enough to see him reach Guardiola's level, Conte replied: "I think I have to work with my team to reach the best results for us. And, for sure, I remember in my first press conference that not many people trusted in Chelsea, in our work.

"I think this must be a great strength for us to continue to work and change people's opinions. But, for me, never do I think about myself. I always think about my team, my club. We win or we lose together."

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