Antonio Conte believes Chelsea must have a successful January transfer window to have a chance of matching Manchester City in the Premier League this season.

Per Harry Howes of the Daily Star, he said:

"Manchester City's path is incredible, no?

"I think Manchester City in this season is a strong team. Also last season, Manchester City was a fantastic team. Then, after the transfer market, they bought their first targets and then they have improved a lot.

"They can do this also in January maybe, in the future. For this reason we must be worried because if we want to compete with Manchester City we have to work and then make the best decisions in the transfer market."

Chelsea have had some ups and downs this season, with defeats to Burnley and Crystal Palace being low points in the Premier League, but as Goal's Nizaar Kinsella noted after their 4-0 win over West Bromwich Albion, they have not been significantly worse than last year:

However, after they were held to a 1-1 draw with Liverpool on Saturday, they are now 11 points behind City, who seem almost certain to win the title.

As the Sky Blues noted on Twitter, they're in truly exceptional form:

Even with spending in January, the Blues have a significant gap to make up on City, and they're also three points behind Manchester United despite beating them.

Nevertheless, it is perhaps their only chance of making up the deficit.

Conte might also have been alluding to mistakes Chelsea made in the summer, after they allowed Nemanja Matic to leave for Old Trafford.

As football writer Liam Canning noted, that so far seems to have been an error on their part:

While Tiemoue Bakayoko was disappointing against Liverpool, there's no reason he can't be a successful buy for Chelsea if he can rediscover the form he displayed at Monaco last year.

Letting Matic join a direct rival was a puzzling decision, however, and Conte is perhaps wary the club might allow another important player to leave.

If Chelsea keep hold of their stars in January and can add to the quality in their squad, it will not only boost their slim title chances, it will also enhance their prospects of ensuring they at least finish in the top four amid stiff competition from United, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool.