Just seven months ago, Chelsea were crowned Premier League champions after a 1-0 win away to West Brom.

That can be an incredibly long time in football, as Claudio Ranieri, Jose Mourinho, and Manuel Pellegrini can all vouch for after being sacked the season after winning the title.

Antonio Conte is the man now tasked with avoiding that fate, though rumours surrounding his future have been almost non-stop this season.

The Italian made his feelings known in the summer, when he felt the Blues had not spent enough to compete with the two Manchester clubs.

Roman Abramovich forked out a combined £199 million on Tiemoue Bakayoko, Alvaro Morata, Danny Drinkwater, Antonio Rudiger, and Davide Zappacosta.

Yet, there were plenty of outgoings too, with the departures of Nathan Ake, Diego Costa, Asmir Begovic, and John Terry all weakening the squad.

The weekend's 1-0 defeat to West Ham, combined with Manchester City's 2-1 win over United, means Chelsea find themselves 14 points off the pace and essentially in a battle for the top four as opposed to a title race.

Is any of this Conte's fault? Opinion is divided. The former Juventus boss remains hugely popular at Stamford Bridge, but the Mirror have given some insight into how the board - the ones whose views ultimately matter - feel about him.

Chelsea have a big problem

The newspaper claim they are losing faith in the manager who was last season hailed as a tactical genius. Their chief complaint is that they don't feel he is getting the best out of the players at his disposal.

There are tensions with David Luiz, who was dropped ahead of the recent game against United, while Willian is also growing unhappy because he isn't used regularly enough.

His handling of the Costa saga was also a bone of contention. Conte reportedly texted the striker telling him he was no longer in his plans and then exiled him in pre-season.

It's even suggested that nobody would stand in his way if PSG moved for him.

It seems the burden of a European campaign has taken its toll. Chelsea only finished as runners-up in their group after a 3-0 loss to Roma, a home draw with Atletico Madrid, and a draw with Roma in which they threw away a two-goal lead. They have had to pay a heavy price, being drawn against Barcelona in the last-16.

With technical director and key ally Michael Emanalo no longer in the hierarchy, Conte has lost someone who would previously have pleaded his case in the boardroom.

Is Conte still the right man for Chelsea? Have your say in the comments.