Momentum hard to maintain, admits manager-of-the-month Conte

Manager-of-the-month Antonio Conte has admitted it will be hard for Chelsea to keep up their momentum after the international break.

The Italian has been named Premier League manager of the month for October after claiming four straight victories last month.

The impressive run of form has taken Chelsea to within a point of top spot, with five league wins on the bounce – the last of which was the 5-0 thumping of Everton at the start of November.

Their run of five straight wins has also been achieved without conceding a single goal in the league, scoring 11 goals in the process.

There most memorable win of the month was the 4-0 victory over Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United at Stamford Bridge, while champions Leicester, Southampton and Hull have also been beaten.

“This is the first time I’ve won the award, it’s a great honour and I want to share it with my players and the club,” Conte told the club’s official website.

“It’s now important we continue and maintain our form. After an international break it’s not easy to restart but we must follow our way and work very hard.

“Our next game is against Middlesbrough on Sunday, we know they are really strong and it will be a tough game, but we have prepared very well.”