Antonio Conte reveals the surprising drinking habits of his Chelsea players

ANTONIO CONTE has urged his Chelsea players to forget about a Christmas bash because they already have a beer after every game.

Party-pooper Conte is not a fan of boozy festive knees-ups and will have his squad in for training on Christmas Day.

But he does let his players drink after a match, so long as they don’t have more than one.

Conte, whose table-toppers face bottom club Sunderland at the Stadium of Light tonight said: “I think Christmas is a particular day and the best thing is to stay with your family.

“It’s important to celebrate Christmas, yes, in the right way. I must be honest, I’d prefer they stayed at home and celebrated with the family. Not a great party.

“I’m sure I have great professionals in my players. In this case, I don’t think a coach or a manager can say, ‘Do this’ or ‘Don’t do this’.

“I have great professionals and I know they will have the better attitude and behaviours in this situation.

“I think a glass of wine, one, is good. One glass of red wine is good.”

Chelsea have organised a small pre-Christmas get-together for the players with their wives and children but there is currently no night out planned for the squad.

And Conte revealed that his players shouldn’t need to go out for a beer because they already get one after the final whistle.

He said: “After the game, for rehydration, you can drink Coca-Cola or one beer. It’s good for recovery.

“But one, not a lot. After you finish the game, quickly, not an hour after the end.”

Conte also praised full back Cesar Azpilicueta, who signed a new deal to stay at the club until 2020 yesterday and will play his 200th game for the Blues tonight.

He said: “I think Azpi is a really important player for us. I think, in the future, he can stay here for many years and become also a legend for this club.”

Chelsea can make it ten league wins in a row with victory tonight equalling a club record.

But Conte said: “I don’t like to think about records. We’ve won nine games. I hope to continue that run, every win is important for me.”

Chelsea insisted last night that talks over skipper John Terry’s future have yet to begin, despite reports he will not be offered a new contract.