Conte admits uncertain future at Chelsea

In a press conference before round 32 of the Premier League, when asked by reporters about his future after the end of the 2017-2018 season, Antonio Conte shared: "Honestly, I don't know. This is the club's problem, not mine."

The former Juventus coach's future has been a big question mark since the start of the season, with speculation linking him with Carlo Ancelotti, Roberto Di Matteo and Jose Mourinho - managers who were sacked just one season after winning a title. Conte has made it through the early stages of the season, but now only has the chance to win the FA Cup. He has also clashed with Chelsea's leadership over personnel plans, and has repeatedly expressed his dissatisfaction in the press.

Conte renewed his contract with Chelsea in the summer of 2017. If he is fired at the end of the 2017-2018 season, he will receive about $12.5 million in compensation for the remaining year of his contract."The contract is still valid, but I don't know what will happen after a year, or even a match. The future of a coach depends closely on the results on the field," Conte confided.

*Premier League Fixtures and Results

Despite the threat of dismissal hanging over his head, the 48-year-old coach remains optimistic. He said: "I think passion is the most important thing in football, whether as a player or a coach. Without passion, it is very difficult to achieve results. When I was a player, I showed my passion on and off the field. I am not the type of player who is calm, and I believe that players must show passion and enthusiasm every time they play."

At the beginning of the 2017-2018 season, Chelsea let go of many experienced players such as John Terry, Diego Costa and Branislav Ivanovic. According to Conte, it was an inevitable process. "To complete this job, you need passion, then you need to develop young players, improve their fighting spirit. Now we have many players who always go out on the field with a fighting spirit to achieve the goal."

The Blues are currently outside the top four, five points off the Champions League places. Chelsea's chances of breaking into the top four will be clear if they beat fourth-placed Tottenham tonight, April 1."This is an extremely important match, because it directly affects the ticket to the Champions League next season. We need to win and keep maximum concentration on this match," Conte emphasized.

*Chelsea's next five matches