Nigerian Defender Impresses Chelsea Boss Despite Loss To West Ham

Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has explained why he named Nigerian defender Ola Aina and England U21 star Nathaniel Chalobah in the starting XI against West Ham in the League Cup on Wednesday night.

Despite the 2-1 loss to the Hammers, the Italian manager reckons that his number 34 gave a good account of himself, adding that he wanted to run the rule over the wing-back in a competitive fixture.

“I prefer to speak always about the whole team but I think this cup is very important to check the development of these young players, ” said Conte to chelseafc.com.

“We have good young players and they need to play. I think the youngsters played a good game with the right intensity and concentration.

“When you lose it’s normal to see bad things but tonight I found a lot of positives.”

Ola Aina started Chelsea’s 3-2 win over Bristol Rovers in August and was a non-playing substitute versus Leicester City in the League Cup last month.

Igho Kingsley

Photo Credit : chelseafc.com