Swansea striker Fernando Llorente thinks that his former boss Antonio Conte will win the Premier League title with Chelsea this season.
The Spaniard won the Serie A title under Conte in 2014, scoring 18 goals during that season, and will face a buoyant Blues side when his team host them at the Liberty Stadium on Sunday.
Llorente describes the 47-year-old as a fierce competitor with lots of energy and passion, who has always been respected by his players.
Speaking via Sky Sports, he tipped the Italian to win the title at the end of the term, despite competition from the likes of Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola.
He was good to work for, he was fiery. You could speak with him, there is a lot of energy and passion there, and players gave their best of themselves every day.
He knows when he needs to assert himself to the players, to tell them how to play better.
Players respected him, but it was not quite fear. I think Chelsea this year will win the Premier League.
The former Spain international also praised Chelsea and Spain forward Diego Costa, defending his attitude and playing style.
Costa scored a brace for Spain against Liechtenstein on Monday, breaking a two year duck. He faced a whole lot of criticism from the media prior to his grand performance, but Llorente refers to him as a very good player who fights for everything.
I know he has been criticised in the Spanish media but, for me, Diego Costa is a very good player.
We know he fights for everything, for every ball… and fights every player on the other team! I have not had fights with him when I have played against him – not ones I remember anyway.
But I played against him when we were both young and he was at Valladolid. He is a good striker who has scored a lot of goals – both in Spain and now here.
