Conte got job done as rivals trod water

ONE of the beauties of Chelsea’s title triumph was its inevitability. Even though this was not one of their better performances, we knew that if they didn’t wrap it up here, they would surely get the job done at home to Watford on Monday.

That sense of knowing what is coming goes some way to summing up Chelsea’s imperious season.

Often inevitable means boring or, at the very least, lacking in excitement. Chelsea, though, have developed a vocabulary all of their own under Antonio Conte.

What he has achieved in his debut season has been an example of management in its purest form; a triumph of individual coaching, shrewd tactics and planning

A Premier League title confirmed here in the Black Country had been coming for some time and sets the standard for the rest.

This was a greatt contest at the Hawthorns,horns, Conte trying to edge his team over thehe line against a Westst Bromwich teamm unaccustomed to beating teams above them in the league. And the home side were damned if they were going to roll over.

So it was a greatat night for Chelsea but a good one for Englishnglish football, too, at a time when some unflatteringtti viewsi have been offered about our domestic league.

On Match of the Day last Saturday, Phil Neville said the Premier League had not excited him recently. Days later, Rio Ferdinand told BT Sport that English teams were not good enough to win the Champions League. Both men have lifted big trophies, so their views struck a chord. But were they right?

All we know is that, despite last night’s nip and tuck, Conte and his Chelsea team have only had one serious challenger for far too long this season.

A word about Tottenham here, because the London club should be exempt from criticism. Spurs were eased out of the title race for the second season running, but they have improved.

With more points already than last season, they are a better side than the one outpaced by Leicester in 2016.

Chelsea needed to put together a sensational run of results to keep Spurs at bay. Since that seminal 3- 0 defeat at the Emirates in September, Chelsea have been imperious. The champions have dropped just 13 points from the last 90, and three of those were at White Hart Lane.

Put in that context, the strength of Tottenham’s pursuit has been admirable.

But Chelsea saw off the rest long ago and, as such, Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United have the greatest strides to make.

Football is, to a large extent, about regeneration. Even in this moneyed era, it is impossible to buy the title. Modern management is about subtly adding to your squad and making sure those playersers you alalready had are given theth right conditionstions to improve. ThThis is what Conte hahas done at Chelsesea and Mauricio PPochettino has ddone at Spurs. Nobody else has achieved it.

At Ci t y, PPep Guardiola’s eefforts have been nnotable only for ttheirh lack of cogcogency. Liverpool playeplayed the best footballball for a while, but their challenge foundered on their inability to score more than one type of goal.

Jose Mourinho’s United have stumbled through the season, often surviving on their wit and will alone.

So, Conte and Pochettino have stood apart and, deservedly, the little Italian has eventually won their contest.

N’Golo Kante was Chelsea’s key signing, just as Victor Wanyama was Tottenham’s.

But perhaps it is the increased output from Eden Hazard, Diego Costa and the Spaniard Pedro that reflects best of all on the Chelsea manager.

It has become fashionable to presume the big clubs will become better each year simply because they always spend more money.

It doesn’t always happen, though, and one wonders if enough will have changed by the time we reconvene in August for the rest to catch up.

This year Chelsea have finished first in a field of two.