Exhausted’ Chelsea stars are ‘unhappy’ with Antonio Conte’s methods

Blues players said to be worn out by the punishing schedule imposed on them by Conte as injuries and poor form blight their Premier League title defence

CHELSEA stars are growing unhappy at the way Antonio Conte is flogging them hard on the training ground.

Blues boss Contestants has imposed a punishing schedule on his players which has seen them hardly enjoy a day off between matches.

Antonio Conte is imposing a punishing schedule on his players

But the Times say the Chelsea squad is now getting fed up with the workload being placed on them at a time when injuries are crippling the group.

The London club's defence of their Premier League title is already hanging by a thread after two straight defeats.

And the 3-3 draw at home to Roma in the Champions League mean they are now without a win in three matches ahead of their clash with Watford on Saturday.

with a series of injuries to key players which has left the squad looking threadbare.

The Chelsea players have been training every day apart from match days this week

Chelsea players are said to be frustrated at the workload being placed on them

Yet manager Conte is still working his players hard on the training ground and not giving them days off after matches.

The Italian achieved success with his physical demands last season when intensive training and tactical sessions helped them win the title.

But that schedule was used without the club playing any European football - yet Conte is sticking with the same approach even though there is far more workload for his team this season.

After last Saturday's 2-1 defeat to bottom club Crystal Palace, the boss had his players in on Sunday and they did not have a day off before the Roma match on Wednesday.