Conte: Chelsea stars can reach Messi's level
The new Chelsea boss believes he can bring out the best in his players and turn them into Ballon d'Or contenders
Antonio Conte believes his Chelsea stars possess the ability to become the very best in the game, provided they buy into his work ethic.
The former Azzurri boss has a very clear message for his players: 'Follow me, and I can take you to Lionel Messi's level'.
"I think Chelsea have players who can become top, top, top players," Conte told reporters. "I think that these players can still improve a lot with work.
"We have players, fantastic players, who have great talent but in this moment the world doesn't think they are the same level as Messi, Luis Suarez, Neymar, Cristiano Ronaldo or Paul Pogba.
"But I think that in our squad there are players who, with work, can improve a lot and reach this level. I'm sure about this. It's important the players understand this.
"There is the ability to work, to prove and to show that, now I am a top player, but I want to become top, top, top player and I want to stay there.
"This is important. The mentality is important. The heart is important, patience and the will to improve is very important and in this case it's important for the manager to take the best players and try to improve them."