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Conte wants to emulate Leicester

Cape Town - New Chelsea manager Antonio Conte plans to take a page out of Claudio Ranieri's book by fostering a strong team spirit among his squad at Stamford Bridge this season.

Ranieri masterminded one of the biggest upsets in Premier League history last season by guiding the Foxes to the title and the togetherness of his squad is a well-documented factor in their success.

"It's a fantastic example," said Conte. "And I think that a great club must always look to the last season for what happened. Because a team, a great team, who win the league, became a great team, Leicester.

"Ranieri did a fantastic job and the players did a fantastic job, because they created the right spirit. And when you watch Leicester's games you understand this great feeling between the players.

"Every player is ready to help his team-mate because he knows in another situation his team-mate will help him.

"It's important to have this if you want to win. It's important to have talented, fantastic players, but it's important as well to create the right spirit."

The Italian revealed he is unlikely to get much sleep ahead of his first competitive match in charge of the club against West Ham on Monday.

"When you win it's fantastic, each result is perfect, but when you lose there are many nights that you don't sleep," he added.

"When you win you reach a great level in your soul, in your mind, and you work very, very hard to have this moment.

"Before the games, usually I don't sleep a lot. I sleep for an hour or so then I wake up and start to think about the game, the situation. And often I have a good idea on the tactical aspect."

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