Antonio Conte Has Shown in 3 Games He Can Be Chelsea’s Difference-Maker

Nobody was quite sure what to expect from Antonio Conte. Chelsea fans watched the Italian on the touchline during the summer’s European Championship, witnessing the energetic, irrepressible nature of their club’s next manager, but in terms of whether he would be a Premier League success or failure, guesswork was the only gauge.

But three games into the 2016/17 campaign, Conte appears to be the perfect match for Chelsea. The Blues have collected nine points from a possible nine and sit atop the Premier League table alongside Manchester City and Manchester United. With those two clubs meeting this weekend, Chelsea have the chance to move past at least one of them.

Indeed, the predominant narrative of the new Premier League season concerns the rivalry between the two Manchester clubs and, of course, Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho. Saturday’s derby is the season’s eagerly anticipated fixture of the campaign so far, and with good reason. It should be a blockbuster.

And that suits Chelsea just fine. Conte has so far been allowed to quietly go about his work in changing the style and identity of the Stamford Bridge club, flying largely under the radar despite their position at the top of the Premier League table. They might not be dark horses for the title race like Leicester City were last season, but the Blues are certainly contenders. 

So how has he done it? How has Conte transformed Chelsea from the hot mess of a club they were last season into title challengers this season? It’s a change made all the more remarkable by the fact that the Italian failed to sign his top targets in the transfer market over the summer. Any progress has been achieved with players left for him by the previous regime.

“At the beginning, it was a bit scary because he works players initially,” explained Oscar, as per Omnisport, shedding some light on the methods and practices of Conte. “But when you look at the results on the pitch, you know he’s done it for a reason. It’s good for me.”

It certainly has been good for the Brazilian playmaker. He is just one of several Chelsea players who look re-energised under the Italian’s tutelage this …

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