Conte 'Entitled' To Whip Up Fans  (Sky Sports)

Sky Sports pundit Graeme Souness thinks Antonio Conte was "entitled" to try to whip up the Chelsea support during Sunday's 4-0 hammering of Manchester United.

Souness also thinks Chelsea have what it takes to challenge for the title this season if they can keep their key players fit.

After Chelsea had scored their fourth goal at Stamford Bridge, Conte exhorted the home fans to raise their levels of support.

But Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho spoke to his Chelsea counterpart at length at the full-time whistle and the Italian media later reported that he described Conte's actions as "humiliating".

Conte has refuted Mourinho's claim and Souness does not think the Chelsea manager's behaviour was insulting to United.

Souness told Sky Sports News HQ: "I understand why the Chelsea manager did that.

"The Manchester United supporters were getting behind their team, although they were 4-0 down, and I think he wanted more from the Chelsea supporters.

"I think it is hard for Jose Mourinho to be upset about that, given how he has been on the touchline in the past, so I think Conte is entitled to do that."

Having brushed aside United, Chelsea find themselves fourth in the table, just a point behind leaders Manchester City.

"Can they win it?" Souness asked. "Of course they can win it.

"But it would mean keeping [Eden] Hazard fit and performing, [Diego] Costa fit and performing - because do they have enough in the squad if anything happened to them? I don't think so.

"They were very impressive [on Sunday]. I thought it was a very Italian performance. They did not have to have all the ball.

"They had less of the possession but they had the better chances and got the goal early on, which dramatically changed the tactics of Manchester United.

"Scoring so early gave Chelsea an enormous lift and the back three obviously works."

Meanwhile, United boss Mourinho may be tempted to make wholesale changes, but Souness thinks he will need to tread carefully.

"I think Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid - and latterly at Chelsea - fell out with players, and you see where that takes you in the modern game," said Souness.

"You are on thin ice if you go after players today because of what they earn and what they are worth in the transfer market. It is a real skill in management if you can drag the best out of them.

"You have to push them as far as you can without falling out with them and I think that is what Jose is challenged with right now. He has to get more from that group, for sure. They are just not at it.

"How you get that is all about managing. He is going to have to come up with answers pretty quickly. You cannot go beyond that line and end up falling out with them."