Antonio Conte has his Chelsea side in the thick of a title race after 11 league games in charge, in sharp contrast to the side’s fortunes at the start of last season.
After last season’s dismal campaign for Chelsea, the only way was up, and it seems that Antonio Conte has found a formula that makes his side a formidable force in this season’s Premier League.
It will be quite an achievement if his side go on and win the title after they finished 10th last season, but he seems to have found a way to get the best out of his players in a way that Jose Mourinho didn’t at the start of last season – just months after leading them to the title.
Chelsea manager Antonio Conte
Some would say the lack of European football will help Conte in terms of preparation this season as they look to regain the league title, and after a summer of relatively little activity – where only two names feature regularly in the starting line-up who weren’t at the club last season – it makes his start all the more remarkable.
How much of an improvement are Conte’s side after 11 games this season than Mourinho’s after the same stage:
Chelsea after 11 games – Premier League 2015/16
| Points | Goals | Goals Conceded | Clean Sheet | Appearances | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chelsea | 11 | 16 | 22 | 2 | 11 |
Chelsea after 11 games – Premier League 2016/17
| Points | Goals | Goals Conceded | Clean Sheet | Appearances | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chelsea | 25 | 26 | 9 | 6 | 11 |
Every facet of the team seems to be better. Some will suggest that is because the players like playing under the current manager compared to last season, but the contrast is the most striking when you compare each individual side in the division.
14 points better off, 10 goals scored better off, better off defensively by 13 goals and four clean sheets. Chelsea don’t look toothless going forward, they look pretty formidable with both Diego Costa and Eden Hazard finding their form.
The most positive sign of Chelsea’s season so far has been that they have switched to a back three and it’s working. They have seen a run of five consecutive wins without conceding a single goal.
Chelsea’s Diego Costa celebrates scoring their third goal
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