LONDON -- Antonio Conte claimed that it is "stupid" for coaches to try to create a siege mentality at top clubs, insisting that his Chelsea players do not need the "other stimulation" of believing the world is against them in order to win.

Chelsea lie 15 points adrift of Manchester City after 23 matches of a troubled Premier League title defence, and while they are still alive in all competitions, the Blues finished second to Roma in their Champions League group and saw off Norwich City on penalties in a dramatic FA Cup third round replay this week.

Conte has also cut an unhappy figure, pointing to early-season injuries, a thin squad and an unfavourable fixture schedule as reasons for his team's struggles. After the Norwich draw, the Italian directed his ire at the video assistant referee (VAR) system for failing to award Chelsea a penalty at the start of extra time when referee Graham Scott booked Willian for diving.

But speaking in a news conference on Friday, Conte denied that his complaints are intended to motivate his players.

"No, we are working under this aspect to create a strong mentality," Conte said. "Not because you have to feel under attack [to win]. This is a stupid thing. Do I have to transfer to my players, 'Oh, we are under attack from the referees, from the journalists and the other teams'? This is not the right way.

Antonio Conte wants to create a winning mentality among his players. MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP/Getty Images

"We are in a great team. I work with great players. Great players working in a great team must have a strong, winning mentality. They don't need to have other stimulation, or other situations to push themselves to create this mentality.

"You have to create this mentality because every player playing for a great team must have a strong, winning mentality."

Wednesday's VAR controversy overshadowed the fact that three Chelsea players were booked for diving against Norwich, taking their tally of offences in domestic competition this season to five -- two more than Manchester City, who rank second on the list.

Conte maintained that Willian was unfairly penalised and insisted that Alvaro Morata also had a case for a spot kick, though he admitted that Pedro Rodriguez made a "mistake" by going down with no contact in the box.

"I think, during the game, the player can be tired, but Pedro's reaction was to stand up quickly," Conte added. "I think the player understood, at that moment, the mistake [he had made] and wanted to stand up and admit it was a mistake.

"But sometimes we can make mistakes. The most important thing is to try and recognise the mistake and try and avoid repeating it next time."

Chelsea's head coach also reiterated that the procedure of consulting the VAR for penalty incidents must be improved.

"Now we are talking about diving, but why aren't we talking about the big mistake?" he asked. "We tried always to move the attention on to the mistake of the player, and not the big mistake of the referee -- not the one on the pitch, but the referee in front of the video.

"I always accept a referee's mistake, and I don't want to speak about the mistake. But if we decide to use the VAR, then you have to use it in the right way. If there is a penalty, you wait a moment, you see it and you don't book the player.

[The referee] made a big mistake. He booked Willian immediately. No, wait one moment and listen to the other [VAR] referee: If there is a simulation then it's a yellow card; otherwise it's a penalty. If you book Willian quickly and then the [VAR] referee says it's a penalty, what do you do?"