Antonio Conte spoke to the media after the Community Shield at Wembley which resulted in a penalty defeat to Chelsea's Premier League rivals Arsenal.
The penalties in the new ‘ABBA’ format was a topic of discussion as many were surprised to see Thibaut Courtois take one, and subsequently miss.
“Courtois is one of the best players to kick a penalty. If you have a player that shows you during training to be one of the best, you pick him to shoot a penalty,” he said in his post-match press conference. “Don’t forget also that Morata is a forward and he did the same.”
Refereeing decisions go against Blues
The game itself was overshadowed by two vital refereeing decisions that went against the Blues. First, Willian was denied a penalty after it looked as though he felt contact from Arsenal’s Hector Bellerin.
Conte said “a lot of people told me the penalty was clear”, however he admitted he didn’t see the images himself.
Next, Pedro was dismissed, with Arsenal equalising from the resulting free kick. It was the second time inside a year Chelsea found themselves with 10 men at Wembley after Victor Moses was sent off for simulation in the FA Cup final.
"For sure there is disappointment to finish with 10 men for the second game against Arsenal, after the FA Cup final," Conte said.
In need of recruits?
Much was made of the Blues' smaller squad in comparison to their North London opponents and although the likes of Alvaro Morata and Antonio Rudiger did make appearances in the second half many will be hoping for some more signings before the window closes.
Tiemoue Bakayoko is still recovering from injury and Conte was clear to add that all his new signings will need time to adapt. “It’s very important for him (Morata) to find a good physical condition and to understand our idea of football.”