Not that Antonio Conte felt anything other than disgust when Chelsea imploded at Arsenal at the end of September, but there are times when a heavy defeat can help a manager eradicate his team’s problems.
Conte was under pressure after that humiliation in north London and it was difficult to see what had changed since the Italian’s arrival in the summer. Chelsea still looked as old, slow, directionless and defensively vulnerable as they had at the end of José Mourinho’s second spell in charge and no one inside or outside Stamford Bridge viewed them as title contenders.
They had also been outplayed by Liverpool at Stamford Bridge and the focus was on whether Chelsea had given Conte enough backing in the transfer window. But instead of throwing a tantrum, the former Italy and Juventus manager kept his cool, backed his ability to work with the tools at his disposal and made the proactive decision to introduce his favoured 3-4-3 system.
A new Chelsea have emerged. The defensive solidity of old has returned, they press feverishly out of possession and know that they can rely on Eden Hazard and Diego Costa to inspire them up front. A mood of despondency has given way to boundless optimism after a run of five consecutive victories and clean sheets, with Everton the latest side to feel the full force of what has been a stunning resurgence.
Everton were begging for mercy by the time Pedro made it 5-0 in the 65th minute and confirmation that Chelsea can be major players in this title race meant that Conte could reflect on that fretful period after the defeat at Arsenal as a turning point.
“I was worried because we conceded a lot of goals in every game and conceded many chances and for this reason we changed it,” he said. “Usually when you lose, it’s important to have a good idea and to change to improve and to explain why you had this defeat. Then I think together with the players we are working very hard and finding a new way to change the situation.”
Searching for a way to counter Chelsea’s system, Ronald Koeman mimicked them from the start. But Everton were 2-0 down after 20 minutes and Koeman was forced into making a change. It made no difference.
Koeman said that he had never seen a side look so strong in a 3-4-3 and the only surprise is that Chelsea did not start the season in that formation.
“In my mind I wanted to play with a 4-2-4,” Conte said. “I wanted to start this way because when you have strong wingers, I like to play with two strikers very close. But then I changed. During pre-season, there was 4-2-4 and 3-4-3 because this squad could play these systems. I changed it to find more balance defensively and in offensive situations.”
Koeman said that Conte has given his players a winning mentality and that improved mindset can be seen in Hazard’s transformation. Despite dominating the individual awards in the 2014-15 campaign, the Belgian’s relationship with Mourinho deteriorated last season and he scored only four league goals.
Conte has brought the best out of him, however, and Hazard’s superb double against Everton took his tally to seven goals from his first 11 league matches. Dizzying Everton’s defence with the speed of his dribbling and movement, he also played key roles in the goals for Costa, Marcos Alonso and Pedro.
Whether Chelsea are good enough to win the league will probably depend on Hazard maintaining this form. Perhaps the biggest success for Conte, though, is how he has chosen to work with players who were written off in the past. After disappointing in his debut season, Pedro is showing why he was such an important player for Barcelona. Victor Moses was energetic on the right, Nemanja Matic played with authority in central midfield and David Luiz was calm and elegant in defence, marking Romelu Lukaku out of the game.
“We worked a lot to change the situation,” Conte said. “Last season was very bad for all the players and it was very important to increase the confidence. Players like Moses, Alonso and Pedro, they are playing in a fantastic way. I hope they continue to improve.”
