Chelsea boss Antonio Conte admits his team must learn 'to kill the game' after edging past Bournemouth

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If Antonio Conte does retain genuine aspirations to survive beyond this season at Stamford Bridge, then this is the week to prove he has what it takes to breathe renewed vigour into Chelsea's performances.

For Conte, this victory represented another blanket over the flames that continue to engulf the early months of his second season in England. 

There has now been rancour with the club hierarchy over transfers, unrest among his own players and last week it was the media's turn to feel the burn. Chelsea may be winning again, but Conte appears to be a man whose fuse will ignite in a split second.

Antonio Conte looks on during Chelsea's victory over Bournemouth on Saturday 

As ever, he was frenetic on the touchline. He screwed up his face as Chelsea spurned chance after chance in the first-half, then barked incessantly as Chelsea rode out late pressure.

In the end, Chelsea won and it was comfortable enough against limited opposition in Bournemouth. The worry lines seem more pronounced on Eddie Howe's brow these days, with his side 19th and also the second lowest scorers in the Premier League. On Saturday, a shot on target did not arrive until Steve Cook's strike deep into stoppage time.

So it is hard to get too excited about talk of a Chelsea renaissance. There is still the nagging sense that the spark of last season has burned out. Chelsea's play feels predictable this time around and they have too often appeared vulnerable to teams that press hard and get on the front foot.

Teams with a skill set as varied as Burnley, Manchester City, Crystal Palace, Watford and Roma have grievously unsettled Conte's side and with Chelsea nine points off the pace at the top, the club already wear the look of a team likely to be treading water this season.

Eden Hazard celebrates after scoring the only goal of the game at the Vitality Stadium 

Conte's three-man defence has been replicated across the Premier League and teams appear wise to Chelsea's play. Conte must now must raise his players' game dramatically or return to the chalkboard and dream up a Plan B that reasserts Chelsea dominance. 

It has all become rather stale, with every bit of Chelsea's game not quite as polished as it appeared last season.

David Luiz is less assured at centre-half, Tiemoue Bakayoko does not have the stabilising qualities of Nemanja Matic and Alvaro Morata aside, the cast of forward stars have struggled for consistency. Eden Hazard's winning goal was the Belgian's first in the Premier League this season.

Conte will know that a better team than Bournemouth would have punished Chelsea's profligacy.

'We must kill the game,' Conte said. 'If you are keeping the game in the balance you risk a draw.'

Chelsea are winning games again but Conte still faces plenty of problems at the club

Roman Abramovich, as we know, will not settle for a club stuck in third gear. Despite Conte's angst, Chelsea did spend more than £180m last summer and the hierarchy are entitled to expect better than a side barely clinging to the coat-tails of the Manchester clubs. 

Chelsea managers pass through and we should remember that Conte last summer signed a contract that increased his salary but did not extend the length of his stay at the club.

He returns to Italy this week and last summer's flirtation with Inter Milan may be recalled. Yet for now, he has a job to do with Chelsea and although his side have already turned water into wine on visits to Tottenham and Atletico Madrid, a new spark may be needed as Conte travels to Roma, who caused such issues for Chelsea in the 3-3 draw a fortnight ago, and then host Jose Mourinho's Manchester United on Bonfire Night.

The thought of Mourinho raising his fingers to his lips before shaking Conte's hand next week will send shivers down the Italian spine. That prospect, at least, should unite Conte and his players for now.