Secrets of success

With no European commitments, Chelsea had time to work under new head coach Antonio Conte.

After being fragmented and dysfunctional in the latter days of Jose Mourinho’s reign, Conte reunited the squad with simplified goals.

The acquisitions of N’Golo Kante and David Luiz were key on the field and both have likeable personalities off it.

Conte had the confidence in his ability to take big decisions. It did not take Conte long to switch to the 3-4-3 formation which served Chelsea so well. Plus he handled the phasing out of John Terry . He also refused to discuss publicly the possibility of Diego Costa moving to China.

Chelsea performed consistently, with a starting XI which was usually predictable.