Chelsea have have been flying high over the past two months. The performances have been at a level you expect from a title winning team. The improvement has been down to Antonio Conte switching to his preferred three at the back formation. The Italian was heavily criticised after being demolished by Arsenal and Liverpool early on in the season. But Conte has turned it around massively after the two losses. Chelsea have won all their games after that and sit comfortably at the top of the table.

The change in formation

The thing that surprised people the most at the beginning was that Conte wasn’t using the system that had brought him so much success. He dominated the Serie A and recreated the magic of the Italian team by playing 3 at the back. But he decided to start the season with the English standard of four at the back.

Chelsea have been a different team altogether in the 3-4-3 formation. Conte has been quick to realise that Chelsea’s best chances lie with their best players playing in positions they are most comfortable in. By playing Victor Moses and Marcos Alonso as wing-backs, Eden Hazard and Pedro have been given full freedom to attack at will and not worry about tracking back.

The thing with the 3-4-3 formation is that it could be the toughest system to play against provided you have the right players. You need two high energy wing-backs who can run like Duracell bunnies for 90 minutes. If you have that in your locker, you are always outnumbering the opposition in defense and attack. If your attacking players have the quality then you can cause maximum damage to the opposition.

Big players firing on all cylinders

Chelsea dominated the league two seasons back. But they were equally pathetic last season. Big players like Eden Hazard, Diego Costa, Nemanja Matic and Cesc Fabregas disappointed last season. But Conte seems to have got them back to performing like champions. There were rumours of Chelsea wanting to get rid of Costa. But by the looks of it, we won’t be seeing that happening anytime soon. The Spanish international has 11 goals in the league this year and is the prime favourite to win the golden boot. He seems to be back to his absolute best.

Eden Hazard is another player who seems to be finding the kind of form which led to people comparing him to the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo. The Belgian is thriving with the newly found freedom under Conte, and is scoring and creating goals for fun.

N’Golo Kante was a massive reason behind Leicester City winning the league last year. It is no coincidence that his team are again at the top of the league. He has been controlling the midfield alongside Nemanja Matic, and not many are able to live with it.

Antonio Conte proving the critics wrong

The Italian was criticised by pundits for buying David Luiz. But it is astonishing how he has turned Chelsea’s defense from a leaky one to a resilient one. Being deployed as the middle center-back in the back three, he’s been doing the job Leonardo Bonucci did for Conte at Juventus and the Italian national team. He has kept good discipline and has been good on the ball during his second stint at the club.

Victor Moses is another story which has surprised everyone in the country. Having been loaned out to different teams in the league it seemed like only a matter of time before he was shipped out permanently. But he has forced his way into Conte’s team. His work-rate and grit provides Pedro with license to concentrate only on the attacking side of the game.

Still a long way to go

Although Chelsea have been playing football out of this world, half of the season is still left. There is a lot more to play for, and given the quality of the other teams in the league, it is inevitable that there will be more twists and turns before the league ends.

Antonio Conte has been doing a fabulous job. With no European commitments this season, Chelsea can fully concentrate on regaining their league title. But champions or not, Conte is here to stay.

Image Courtesy: Mirror