‘Think very Carefully Before Sacking Conte’: Vialli

Former Chelsea striker Gianluca Vialli has warned his former team that parting company with manager Antonio Conte is no easy task.

Conte lead his side at Wembley for a 1-0 victory over Manchester United in the FA Cup final. But there has been growing speculation this it could be his last game in charge of the Blues.

Vialli believes that his compatriot Conte has done well at Stamford Bridge and led the team to success.

“If I was Antonio I would think twice about leaving Chelsea, if I was Chelsea I would think three times about letting Antonio go,” he said,?“It’s a good match and I hope it will continue.

“I think he has done incredibly well last season, winning the championship [Premier League] which is always complicated in a competition which has six or seven clubs capable of winning.

“The competition is incredibly tough but he managed to do it in a great manner.

“The season after you win the championship is always more complicated. The competition are hungrier and stronger, so I think he did everything possible this season.

“They did extremely well in the Champions League until getting knocked out by, I would not say Barcelona but Lionel Messi. If he had been playing for Chelsea it would have been 5-0 both times to Chelsea.

“Getting to the final of the FA Cup is a massive achievement, so overall he is going great and I hope it continues.”

Chelsea managed to defeat United, courtesy a 22nd minute penalty from Eden Hazard. Chelsea’s next matches will be against Sevilla, Inter Milan and Arsenal in the International Champions Cup.

On the subject of Chelsea’s FA Cup win, a sour Jose Mourinho claimed that the Blues did not deserve to win. He accused them of defending with 9 players.