Conte explains decision to play with two up front

Chelsea boss Antonio Conte says switching to playing two up front against Burnley was a simple matter of wanting to get more bodies in the box.

Both Alvaro Morata and Olivier Giroud started in the 2-1 win at Turf Moor, with Pedro playing in midfield, slightly ahead of N’Golo Kante and Tiemoue Bakayoko.

Conte said he was pleased with both of his strikers, albeit Morata missed a glorious chance to score when through one-on-one with Chelsea leading 1-0.

“With two strikers, you fill the box better and you have the possibility to hold the ball better,” Conte added.

“Our target was to bring more players in the box. Sometimes when we play with one striker and two number 10s, it is difficult.”

Conte, who started his Chelsea reign by playing four at the back before quickly changing, denied he was inflexible with his tactics.

He insisted he is happy to move away from the usual 3:4:2:1 system, an approach that delivered the Premier League title in his first season at Stamford Bridge.

“When you arrive at a new cub you have to adapt to the players you have and try to find the best solution for your team,” he said.

“I like to play with two strikers. My past speaks very well. A lot of times I played with two strikers.”