Chelsea head coach Antonio Conte says his players are struggling this season because of their heavy playing schedule.

Conte claims his side have underperformed and struggled to cope with the loss of big players like Diego Costa, Nemanja Matic and John Terry.

"We are working 70% less this season. We are playing every two days, it's impossible and we are paying for this.

"When you play every three days it's impossible to work on the tactical aspect and physical aspect.

"I think we are paying less attention in every detail.

"After two defeats and a draw, I'm happy for the commitment of my players but about the last result (against Roma) no coach can be happy.

"After two defeats in the league, we want to come back and win.

"It can happen, we play a tough game after only two days and we played (Crystal) Palace after the international break.

"Our priority is to be focused and go game by game. Every opponent can be dangerous.

"It is a problem to play every game with the same players so it is impossible for these players to work - the game is not training."

Despite Chelsea's problems with injuries, and not being able to rest players, Conte is refusing to change his tactics or the roles of his players in the team.

He said: "I'm not happy to change the roles of my players. You must adapt and be ready to pay for this."