Chelsea’s Antonio Conte still feels pain of title that got away 17 years ago

Antonio Conte says he is haunted by the Devon Loch moment from his playing days which caused him not to sleep for six nights, but he is confident his Chelsea team will not lose their focus in the pursuit of the Premier League title.

Chelsea have built an eight-point lead at the top of the table, before their home game against Swansea City on Saturday and, as such, they are the favourites to be crowned as champions. They have 13 matches to go and only one of them is away from home against a top six rival – the trip to Manchester United in mid-April.

Conte is obsessed by taking nothing for granted because he has the experience of how things can unravel when they are least expected. He was a player for Carlo Ancelotti’s Juventus in the 1999-2000 season and they looked to have built an unassailable advantage in Serie A. They were nine points clear with eight games to go but they would lose four of their final fixtures to surrender the title to Sven-Goran Eriksen’s Lazio.

On the final day, when Lazio beat Reggina at home, Juventus needed an away win over Perugia. On an almost flooded pitch, they lost 1-0. Like Devon Loch, the horse that fell on the final straight when leading the 1956 Grand National, Juventus had summoned failure from the jaws of victory.

“When we lost the title in the last game against Perugia, I was the captain and I remember it very well,” Conte said. “After this game, I had to go to Euro 2000 with the Italy national team and I didn’t sleep for six days because it was such a shock to me to lose the title.”

Conte had a better experience involving Lazio at the end of the 2001-02 season. His Juventus team had to win on the final day at Udinese and see Internazionale lose at Lazio in order for them to leapfrog Inter to the title – which was how it played out.

It is the defeats that have tended to stay with Conte, and from which he has learned the most. They have steeled him and ensured that he never looks beyond the next game.

Conte was asked about facing Manchester United at home in the FA Cup quarter-final on 13 March but he made it plain he had thoughts only for Swansea. He has prepared his team for the threat of the striker, Fernando Llorente, with whom he worked when he was the manager of Juventus.

“Thirteen [remaining] games is an enormous space of time and 39 points,” Conte said. “If we take 32 points, we win the title – otherwise, anything can happen. We must be focused and go step by step.”

Conte visited the England rugby union camp this week, before their Six Nations match against Italy at Twickenham on Sunday, and he said it was beneficial to have shared ideas with the coach, Eddie Jones.

“It was fantastic to see his methods, like the video analysis, and to compare the different ways we work during the week – when you work very hard and find the day to work less, to give rest to the players,” Conte said. “It’s important to compare the physical work, the mental work and see the way they face the game through individual analysis.

“I like to have this type of meeting with the coaches of other sports. It is very interesting and useful. I have invited him to come to Chelsea so that we can spend another afternoon together.”