Antonio Conte insists he has full confidence in Tiemoue Bakayoko after the summer signing from Monaco played a starring role in Chelsea’s 3-1 win over Huddersfield.
Bakayoko has struggled to fully adapt to the rigours of English football following his £35million move and was hauled off at half time during last weekend’s defeat against struggling West Ham.
The 23-year-old retained his place in the starting line-up for Tuesday’s trip to Huddersfield and rewarded his manager’s faith with his most impressive performance in a Chelsea shirt so far.
Conte said: ‘Bakayoko played a really good game tonight. I’m very happy for him. This player we’re talking about a player who is 23 years old and I think he is adapting himself in our idea of football and tonight maybe I saw the best performance from Baka.
‘And I started to see what I ask, what I want, and to find the right passes between the line, to change side, to be solid, to be focused for the whole game.
‘I’m very pleased for him. And for sure this type of performance improves his confidence. I repeat I’m not worried about Baka. Baka is a young player and now he’s starting to understand he’s in a club like Chelsea, a great club, and I’m very happy because he’s showing me to have the right desire, the right will, to improve himself to try to be better.’
Explaining why he took the France international off against West Ham, he added: ‘No but I want to be very clear, after the first half against West Ham I decided to make this substitution but it was tactical. I explained in the changing room, between the first half and the second half.
‘I said to him, ‘Look, this is only a tactical substitution. Not because you are playing bad, or I’m not satisfied with your performance. This is a tactical substitution.’ You could see I changed him not with another midfielder but with Pedro to be more offensive, to have a player with different characteristics, because West Ham played the whole game with 11 players behind the ball.
‘But if I don’t trust him tonight, he doesn’t start. Instead in an important game, a big game, after a defeat, after a lot of problems, to start with him means I trust him. I trust all my players.’
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