Premier League Hangover: Hazard Warning as Conte Finds His Eden at Chelsea

Antonio Conte less wears his heart on his sleeve than rips it from his chest to exhibit it on the touchline. Every game is an open invitation for Chelsea’s players and supporters to view what he is willing to give for the cause and what he expects in return.

After the Jose Mourinho years where a simple gesture such as a smile could be interpreted in a myriad of ways (kind, broad, thin, full, condescending, apologetic, mirthless, humourless, sardonic, sarcastic, sly), there is no grey area for Conte. As one would expect from a pupil of Juventus, everything is black and white. Just no one mention the Calciopoli scandal.

In less enlightened times, Conte is the type of warrior who would ride into the next village on horseback with the head of his latest conquest on a stick. Thankfully for Burnley boss Sean Dyche, referee Mark Clattenburg was on hand to ensure there would be no such showboating on Saturday. Chelsea supporters had to settle for a 3-0 victory and a pair of rabonas from Oscar and Eden Hazard.

Remarkably, this was the first time Chelsea have won consecutive home games in over a season. It also represented a first clean sheet in 13 games at Stamford Bridge, dating back to mid-January when League One side Scunthorpe United were the visitors.

Conte covers more ground in his technical area than Hazard managed in numerous games last season. A Tasmanian devil of a man, he can be as exhausting to watch as his sides are to play against.

Manic animation may be theatrical as he plays out every pass, tackle, header, shot and goal as though he’d love nothing more than to swap his sharp suit for shorts, but it’s never for show. Chelsea’s players are routinely called over for bite-size briefings, and it’s been a feature already how often his words appear to yield subtle changes to how the game is panning out.

Such enthusiasm looks to have proved infectious as Chelsea head into the international break on the back of three Premier League victories from as many matches and a performance arguably as complete as there has been to date all season. For the first time since his arrival in the capital, we saw a Conte side in full working order on Saturday.

It is a little premature to talk of butterflies having hatched from the cocoons of inertia that were Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City last season, yet each of Conte, Mourinho and Pep Guardiola has made light work of living up to a Galactico billing.

In a campaign where the Premier League has sold itself by inverting the traditional Hollywood system, to have the directors as the main drivers of ticket sales rather than the cast of actors, all three have proved accomplished auteurs.

Hold up a mirror to their respective teams and the faces of Conte, Mourinho and Guardiola will stare back. That’s quite the accomplishment after three matches and a combined maximum haul of 27 points. It is Manchester City who top the embryonic table on goal difference.

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As a gruff Dyche pointed out in his post-match press conference, such was the overwhelming disparity between the two sides, this was not the day to judge how far Chelsea have come or may still need to travel, per the Daily Star’s Tony Stenson: “It’s about what happens when they take on the other superpowers of the division. That will be their real market.”

It’s true an early goal at home to a newly promoted side is the gift that keeps on giving, but Chelsea’s endeavours didn’t look like the work of a dinosaur, Sean.

Conte drills his players in training like few other coaches. His attention to the minutiae is legendary, with his work on the training field coordinated to leave nothing to chance. In the words of the pre-eminent American designer Charles Eames: “The details are not the details. They make the design.”

Conte said post-match, per the Press Association (h/t Eurosport): 

It’s important to start in a good way. Usually when a new manager arrives he brings his method of football and new ideas, and you can have good ideas but it’s also important to have results, so to start in this way is good for me. 

To start the season with three wins, and a win in the cup, is good for the confidence of the players and the fans, and me. I see a lot of positive things but we can improve.

In each of Chelsea’s previous league games, against West Ham United and Watford, respectively, they had to come from behind to win with late Diego Costa goals. On Saturday, they started as though they had been given the implicit instruction to get the …

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