Antonio Conte warns Chelsea stars they cannot play every game

The Brazilian came off the bench to hit the equaliser in the 1-1 draw away to Liverpool on Saturday, to make it three in two games

Willian has been in fine goalscoring form but is not guaranteed a place in Chelsea's first team (AFP)

Antonio Conte has warned his stars they must accept the reality of being at a team like Chelsea is that you will not play every game, as questions again arose about Willian’s goalscoring form even though he has not started in the league since the 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace in mid-October.

The Brazilian came off the bench to hit the equaliser in the 1-1 draw away to Liverpool on Saturday, to make it three in two games. The Italian however insisted he will continue to just do what is best for the team.

“But why are you asking about Willian and not Hazard at the start of the season, and not Pedro the same? They have the same situation. Every game I have to make the best decision. I repeat: my players must be happy to stay in Chelsea and to play for Chelsea and to play for our fans. They must be happy. If they start the game, or if they stay on the bench and come on.

"I think I have clever players to understand the situation and accept the situation. [Eden] Hazard, at the start of the season, accepted the situation to stay on the bench before finding the right form. It's the same for Pedro, for Willy, for other players. When you are in a great team, you have to accept this and, at the same time, you must be happy to stay in a great team.”

Midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko has been a regular despite his form having dropped slightly in the last two months, but Conte put that down to his age, and the need for the player to adjust to the tactical demands of his side.

“Don't forget, Bakayoko is a player who is very young. Only [23] years old. For many reasons, he played a lot of games. I think he needs for sure to improve on the tactical aspect, with us, and to go into our idea of football. But at the same time, for a young player to play regularly, with this regularity, is not simple. Not simple.

"He's playing well. It's normal that you can alternate good performances with other performances less good. But I think he's a young player who is working very well. I'm very happy with his commitment, with his behaviour. But, for sure, he has a lot of space for improvement.”