5 things Antonio Conte needs to do to avoid the sack at Chelsea

It has not been smooth sailing for the Premier League winners, Chelsea, the season after their win. Jose Mourinho got the sack midway through his title defense in 2015 and Claudio Ranieri suffered the same fate last year with Leicester City.

Antonio Conte, however, looks unlikely to get the sack right away, with former Chelsea technical director, Michael Emenalo, saying that he has both the board's and the owner's support. Staying on for a third season is a different ball game and not at all a certainty. Roman Abramovich is notoriously trigger happy when it comes to managers and with Carlo Ancelotti available, there are quite a few objectives Conte needs to fulfill to secure a third season at the helm of Chelsea.

Let's take a look at 5 things Conte absolutely needs to do to remain as Chelsea manager next season.

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#1 Make the most from his squad

Danny Drinkwater should have played the match against West Ham

Believe it or not, Chelsea spent close to €200 million this summer on transfers. This was after Antonio Conte continuosly moaned after the club's lack of transfers. Agreed that first-choice targets of the manager were not acquired but Chelsea still have a squad capable of playing a game every three days with fresh legs.

There is just no justification for Conte to have started with virtually the same 11 against Athletico Madrid and then West Ham and then say that his players were tired when they could not produce the goods against the Hammers.

Big teams have big squads and Chelsea have quite a big squad filled with talent. It is upto the manager to use his squad effectively. Last season, Chelsea had it easy with the fixture congestion. Conte has to accept that fact and use his squad properly to avoid the sack this season. Moaning about the fixture list is not going to help improve anything.

#2 Use the January transfer window effectively

Does David Luiz have a future at Chelsea?

It is a well known fact that Chelsea's summer transfer window was total shambles. Antonio Conte, along with the board, has to make sure they avoid mistakes previously made. Answer important questions pertaining to the squad early and do the business with conviction.

"Does David Luiz have a future at Chelsea?", "Do we need a second Striker in January itself?", "Cover at wing back?". These questions have to be answered by Conte and the club have to act with conviction to avoid the embarrassment of the summer.

The January transfer window is usually more over-priced and Conte has to also decide whether some targets have to wait till the summer. A good transfer window and Chelsea have the opportunity to have a good end to the season.

Also, it's important to note that a good transfer window does not always mean transfers are done. Even if Conte decides to not do any business, it should be because he is satisfied with the squad and not because the transfers failed.

#3 Reach the quarterfinals of the Champions League

Chelsea have a 2/3rd chance of meeting either Barcelona or PSG

Chelsea had a tough group in the Champions League Group Stages, which contained AS Roma and Atletico Madrid. Even so, it would have been expected of them to come out as Group winners. Not being able to do so, due to a dismal performance in Rome, leaves Chelsea in the perilous position of meeting either Barcelona or PSG in the Round of 16. There's a chance they may face Besiktas, but even then, victory is not guaranteed.

Antonio Conte has had his critics in the Champions League when he hadn't progressed far in it with Juventus. In fact, Juventus went to two finals after Antonio Conte left. Beating Barcelona or PSG would prove Conte's capabilities in the Champions League and show that, given a proper summer window, he can lead Chelsea to glory in Europe as well as in England.

#4: Finish in a Champions League spot in the league

The league title is most definitely gone

Chelsea have, with the loss at West ham, lost the slim chance they had of retaining the title. With 6 teams vying for 4 Champions League spots, it is absolutely crucial for Antonio Conte to make sure Chelsea qualify for next season's Champions League, preferably via automatic qualification and not the play-offs.

With Manchester City being runaway leaders, Conte has to make sure they do not lose pace with them. Qualify for Europe's elite competition next season and Conte will get the opportunity to justify this season.

If they don't qualify, the writing will be on the wall for the Italian. A club of Chelsea's stature are expected to be playing against Europe's finest and 4th is the minimum for Conte to keep his job.

#5: Win a trophy

The Capital One Cup is Chelsea's best hope of silverware this season

History tells us that when the manager does not win a trophy in a season at Chelsea, he plies his trade somewhere else the next season. So it is absolutely crucial that Conte wins some silverware this season.

The domestic cups provide the perfect opportunity for Conte to do so. They are in the quarter-finals of the Capital One Cup with a home match against Bournemouth. A very winnable match which will be followed by a two legged tie in the semi-final and a final one off match at Wembley.

Conte has already gone to the finals of the FA Cup last season and he will be looking to do one better and actually win the competition this time. Win the domestic cups and this might just look like a successful season for Chelsea. Failure to do so will spell doom for Antonio Conte, even if he qualifies for the Champions League. We have seen managers being fired at Chelsea even after achieving far more and Conte will be well aware of the objectives he needs to fulfill to stay a third year at Chelsea.