Antonio Conte has piled the praise on Manchester City’s “incredible” start to proceedings this season, saying he believes their rivals will have to spend big in January in order to compete.

Chelsea earned a hard fought 1-1 draw with Liverpool over the weekend, but once again fell further behind City who are now 11 points ahead of the Blues.

It goes to show the sheer class City have within their ranks, and just how much they are running away with the league. Some say they already have one hand on the title, while others say only Manchester United can rival them.

Conte however is still hopeful his side can defend their crown, but insists investment will be the key.

“Manchester City’s path is incredible, no?” said the Italian.

“I think Manchester City in this season is a strong team. Also last season, Manchester City was a fantastic team. Then, after the transfer market, they bought their first targets and then they have improved a lot.

“They can do this also in January maybe, in the future. For this reason we must be worried because if we want to compete with Manchester City we have to work and then make the best decisions in the transfer market.”

Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois is also confident City can be unhinged, with a crammed December potentially causing them some trouble.

“December is a very tough month. Maybe they drop some points,” he said.

“We have to be there to keep on winning and hopefully close down on them, then towards the end of the season maybe overtake them. But at the moment they are the best team in the league and it’s hard for them to drop points.”
[Quotes via Sky Sports]