Nonetheless, Chelsea have still managed to maintain a five point lead at the top of the table and Conte will surely be urging his players to bounce back when they travel to the King Power Stadium to square off against Leicester City this weekend.
Here is the strongest possible Chelsea lineup for the clash against Leicester City –
Goalkeeper
Thibaut Courtois did not cover himself in glory with his performance against Tottenham Hotspur and he was roundly criticized for his role in the concession of the second goal in particular.
Given Courtois’ fine performances throughout the course of the campaign, it would be a bit harsh to criticize him too much and one can be sure that the Belgian international will be looking to make amends this weekend.
Defence
Much like Courtois, the solid Chelsea backline consisting of the likes of David Luiz, Cesar Azpilicueta and Gary Cahill were not at their best against Tottenham and they were duly punished for some slack defending by Dele Alli.
It is unlikely that Conte will make changes to his tried and tested backline for Saturday’s clash but he will surely be demanding a better performance from the trio this time around.
In the wing back positions, Marcos Alonso and Victor Moses look certain to be starting after being given a day off in the FA Cup last weekend.
Midfield
Nemanja Matic and N’Golo Kante were clearly not at their best against Tottenham but considering the fact that the duo were rested during Chelsea’s 4-1 FA Cup victory over Peterborough United, they will most likely continue in the lineup for the Premier League.
This means that Cesc Fabregas will once again have to be happy with a place on the bench while impressive young duo Nathaniel Chalobah and Ruben Loftus-Cheek will be hopeful of featuring in some capacity as well.
Pedro and Eden Hazard have been Conte’s first choice wide men this season and the two fleet footed stars look set to start once again, with Willian dropping down to the bench.
Attack
Michy Batshuayi did well once again in leading the line for Chelsea in their clash against Peterborough but with Diego Costa in such hot form at the moment, the young Belgian will simply have to make way for his senior teammate in the starting lineup this weekend.
