Chelsea manager Antonio Conte labelled Gary Neville and Jamie Redknapp ‘stupid’ for criticising his tactics in the their 1-0 defeat to Manchester City on Sunday.
Chelsea have now lost four in their last five Premier League games, following an underwhelming loss against City.
Gary Neville particularly described Chelsea’s performance as an ’embarassment’ during commentary for Sky Sports, while Redknapp called Conte’s tactics a ‘crime against football’ after the match.
However, Conte described the pair’s criticism as ‘stupid’ and defended his decision to sit back against Manchester City.
‘I’m not so stupid to play open against Manchester City and lose 3-0 or 4-0,’ said Conte.
‘If I remember well, three days ago, Arsenal played twice against City and then you criticised Arsene Wenger because they conceded three goals in only 30 minutes.
‘The pundit has to use the head to understand when you speak about tactics, because I think you must have knowledge to speak about tactics and not only to speak in a stupid way.’
Chelsea will play Crystal Palace next Saturday before a trip to the Nou Camp to face Barcelona in the second leg of their last-16 Champions League match.
