London — Chelsea’s troubled season hit a new low as the Premier League champions crashed to a 4-1 defeat at Watford, heaping fresh pressure on beleaguered boss Antonio Conte. Less than a year after being hailed as the mastermind of Chelsea’s title triumph, Conte appears destined to become the latest high-profile boss to pay the price for failing to satisfy the London club’s ruthless owner, Roman Abramovich. With fourth-placed Chelsea trailing 19 points behind leaders Manchester City, Abramovich is reported to be considering a replacement for Conte, with former Barcelona coach Luis Enrique linked with the job. Here is a look at the reasons for Chelsea’s collapse: • The champagne corks had barely finished popping at the end of Chelsea’s title celebrations in May 2017 before Conte bizarrely lost his cool and set off down a path that now looks certain to end with his exit. • Misjudging his power base, Conte felt winning the league should allow him much more say in who came and went from...
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