Conte could lead Chelsea to Premier League title

It’s a very different Premier League than it was a year ago. This time last year Arsenal and Leicester City were fighting for the top spot while Chelsea uncharacteristically sat near the bottom of the table. Fast forward to now and the Blues have turned things around under new manager Antonio Conte and are looking like locks to take home their fifth Premier League trophy.

Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of Chelsea’s hot streak has been that this is largely the same squad that finished in 10th place last year. The players have simply been playing to their potential, which speaks volumes for the effectiveness of Conte and Deadspin has reported on how dissatisfied the team looked under Mourinho. The usually dominant side looked like shells of their former selves last year and showed a marked improvement following the manager’s exit. Now that the club is under new management, the differences between this year and last are night and day as players are performing better—and getting the results to prove it.

Among the players experiencing a complete turnaround in form is Nigerian midfielder Victor Moses. After spending the last three seasons on loan, Moses has become a fixture of the starting XI and has earned Man of the Match twice this season. In fact, the entire midfield has been playing significantly better with both Eden Hazard and Nemanja Matic putting in strong performances. According to Express, Hazard has admitted to his poor form last season and has more than made up for it with his play so far this year. Diego Costa has also stepped up this game. Last year, he only scored a total of 12 league goals all season and this year he already has 14, leading the Premier League in scoring.

The key to Chelsea’s success has been making sure their players at their best. Antonio Conte has brought his own brand of strategy to Stamford Bridge and it seems to have been just the change the Blues needed to turn back into a winning side. Betfair’s team of experts have reported on Chelsea’s title march extensively alongside the rest of their Premier League coverage, and specifically noted the Italian’s arrival. The adjustments Conte has made to Chelsea’s formation have helped to create a much more dynamic, attacking squad that is playing the most exciting football Stamford Bridge has seen in years. It’s hard to believe that this is the same team that played such unattractive football under Mourinho.

At the time of this writing, Chelsea sit at the top of the table, five points ahead of Liverpool and seven in front of Tottenham Hotspur. While the season is far from over, it’s difficult to imagine anyone leapfrogging the Blues to take the top spot. Barring a catastrophic meltdown in the second half of the season, Chelsea are set to become Premier League champions once again, and they’ll have Antonio Conte to thank for it. All he had to do was make them believe in themselves.