After the opening weekend debacle at Stamford Bridge Antonio Conte suggested he would have to start planning coaching sessions based around his team having at least one player sent off. The Chelsea manager sounded sarcastic but he warmed to his theme as the post-match inquests progressed. I like to imagine the remaining Premier League managers nodding away and turning to their assistants to say: “Well, if he’s doing it then so should we.”It is not so difficult, though, to navigate your way through the adversity of a red card — or two. You need the remaining players to stay calm but indignant and you offer a sacrifice to the discipline gods. Against Burnley, once Gary Cahill had been dismissed, Conte sacrificed Jeremy Boga, the young…

Source: The Times August 22, 2017 11:03 UTC