Manager Antonio Conte was of the opinion there was a conspiracy against his side as he laboured to maintain the form that brought the Premier League trophy to Stamford Bridge last year. It's been a frustrating campaign for the Italian, whose future as Blues boss has been the subject of increasing speculation as results have gone against him and Chelsea's title defence has fallen away.

Time to think was needed, a chance to reassess and look forward for all concerned -- and the recent international break brought plenty of that. The decent 2-1 away victory at Leicester City in the FA Cup quarterfinals and favourable semifinal draw against Southampton buoyed the mood of fans disappointed by the 3-0 defeat to Barcelona that preceded it and brought to an end the Blues' participation in the Champions League.

Conte too must have been happier, but despite this during the first few days of the break, all the talk was about his likely departure and who would replace him. What was in his mind? Stay or go? What were the Chelsea board planning? Questions and possible answers span around ad nauseam.

But that changed.

Managers come and go frequently at the Bridge; Blues supporters have become used to regular upheavals to the point where it's become boring, and in the case of Conte, a change of topic was required. Fortunately for the fans, something of far greater immediate importance and consequence loomed on the horizon: a Premier League match at home against archrivals Tottenham Hotspur.

Bitterness toward the north London club is rooted in the 2-1 FA Cup final loss in 1967 to a Spurs side that featured two ex-Chelsea stars -- Jimmy Greaves and Terry Venables. This worsened markedly at the end of the 1974-75 season when both sides battling to avoid relegation form the old First Division met at White Hart Lane. Tottenham won 2-0, a result that went a long way to sending the Blues down to the second tier. It took a long time for Chelsea to properly re-establish themselves once more as a top-flight club; meanwhile, Spurs won back-to-back FA Cups in 1981 and 1982 and the UEFA Cup in 1984.

A reversal of fortune would come during the late 1990s with Chelsea winning the FA Cup in 1997 and 2000, and the League Cup and European Cup Winners' Cup in 1998. Then of course Roman Abramovich came along in 2003, and the glory days well and truly arrived at Stamford Bridge.

It's easy to see how history, envy and pride have all played their part in developing what has become London's fiercest derby rivalry, and more modern scenarios have seen this intensify.

Spurs, fourth in the table, have a five-point advantage over Chelsea. With games running out, anything other than a victory for Conte's side will make the task of Champions League qualification that little bit more arduous. In this respect, the match has taken on an all-or-nothing cup final feel about it. However, there is something else at stake for Blues supporters that many -- certainly the match-going fraternity -- would argue makes qualifying for Europe's elite club competition a mere sideshow.

The last time Tottenham won at Stamford Bridge was in February 1990. So 27 league games and one FA Cup tie later, Spurs still can't find a way to end the jinx. Famously in May 2016, the Lilywhites blew a 2-0 half-time lead as Chelsea rallied to draw 2-2 and with it all but end their rivals' bid to win the Premier League.

The record can't end now. Yes, it's a pride thing for Chelsea supporters, but it's such things that are interwoven into football culture which make the game so compelling. The big question: Does Conte see it the same way, and perhaps more importantly, are his players resilient enough to get a result against a Spurs side that will be more determined than ever before to win?

If this is Conte's last season as Chelsea manager, how will the fans remember him in five, 10 years' time? The nice guy who won the Premier League at the first attempt or the moaning man who lost the long unbeaten home record to Tottenham? It would be the latter. That's how important this fixture is to them.