Could Antonio Conte have one game to save his job?

The 3-0 defeat to Roma at the Stadio Olimpico on Tuesday certainly set alarm bells ringing for Chelsea fans, the lax, sloppy defending on display in Rome was a sight that they had gotten used to not seeing under the Italian and for it to return led to a collective scratching of heads.

Thankfully for Chelsea, their Champions League hopes are still in tact, though that is more down to Atletico Madrid's failing than their own successes. The reigning champions are by no means struggling in the Premier League, currently sitting in fourth place, however, the nine-point gap that separates them from leaders Manchester City shows that their title defence is already faltering, whilst the stats show that Tuesday's loss was their third in seven in all competitions.

Something is not quite right, Conte is resembling a grump old man in his press conferences, rather then the energetic maverick we so often saw last season.

Defensive concerns

On the pitch there are clearly problems as well, Chelsea's defeat in Roma laid bare their defensive frailties, with Antonio Rudiger in particular making a hash of a routine clearance to allow Stephan El Shaarawy to score his second of the night, before arguably the worst piece of defending in this season's Champions League saw three Chelsea players chase down Edin Dzeko, leaving no-one in the middle whatsoever to track Diego Perotti.

The stats attest to the fact that Chelsea are struggling, with 'The Blues' conceding more goals per game in the Premier League this season (1.00) than last term (0.86).

Dressing room clashes

Reports in recent weeks have claimed that a number of players had contacted former coach Steve Holland to tell him that they miss his training sessions, with Conte's intense workouts suddenly rubbing the players up the wrong way. The Chelsea boss soon brushed off the rumours though, labelling them 'bullsh*t'.

Conte's homesickness and Ancelotti's availability

The Italian was quoted in an interview saying that he misses his homeland and that he hopes to return there in the future, naturally onlookers took this to mean in the very near future though Conte has since denied that he intends to jump ship any time soon. 

Meanwhile, Carlo Ancelotti's availability after he was sacked by Bayern Munich also led to suggestions that Abramovich could replace Conte with his compatriot. Ancelotti is thought to maintain a good relationship with the Russian oligarch and is known to have enjoyed his previous spell at the helm in West London.

Injury problems

Conte's options on the field have also been significantly limited in recent weeks. Star midfielder N'Golo Kante has been missing for weeks after suffering a hamstring injury on international duty with France, whilst new signing Danny Drinkwater has barely featured for the club since joining form Leicester on deadline day due to a calf problem. Victor Moses and Alvaro Morata have also spent spells on the sidelines in recent weeks, with Eden Hazard having only just returned to full fitness following his ankle problem.

Morata's drop in form

Alvaro Morata was being hailed as one of the signings of the summer not so long ago after plundering seven goals in his first seven games for Chelsea, but he has now yet to score since the game against Atletico Madrid on September 27. Admittedly, part of that period was spent out injured but there appear to be signs that he is not yet completely over the problem and with Conte not at all convinced by Michy Batshuayi, Chelsea are struggling for goals.

Pre-existing concerns

It would be wise to remember that all did not look rosy at Stamford Bridge just a short time ago. During the summer, Conte quickly grew frustrated with Chelsea's inability to sign their top targets after Alex Sandro, Romelu Lukaku, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Fernando Llorente and Ross Barkley all slipped through their fingers. That led to speculation that Conte was unhappy at the club and could sensationally quit just months after leading the club to the Premier League title. In the end, he signed a new contract, though that new deal did not extend his stay in London, instead just giving him a pay rise, leading to more alarm bells.

Conclusion

Put simply, it is impossible to say with certain how much patience Roman Abramovich has left with Conte. However, if the rumours of discontent behind the scenes are true, then it is indeed possible that the Italian's time at the club may be drawing to a close.