Antonio Conte inherited a broken Chelsea team that had been sellotaped together by Guus Hiddink after the madness at the end of Jose Mourinho's second spell in charge.

It took him time to find the right formula and he came in for criticism after defeats to Arsenal and Liverpool.

But, since switching to the 3-5-2 formation, the Blues have found a new defensive steel and have kept a clean sheet in their last four Premier League games.

In that time, they have also scored 11 goals and are now sitting a point off the top three sides.

Conte lacks Mourinho's flair in press conferences but he has a calm, confident tone in which he handles the media and is happy to have a laugh and a joke at the same time.

Antonio Conte

On the touchline, the Italian is passionate and can be seen urging Chelsea's players and fans forward with his wild celebrations already becoming a part of Stamford Bridge folklore.

His work in the transfer market was understated with N'Golo Kante being the signing of the summer.

David Luiz and Marcos Alonso also followed during the transfer window and, while the Sideshow Bob lookalike's capture grabbed more headlines, it was bringing the Premier League champion to Stamford Bridge that was the best bit of business.

Conte has every right to be pleased with his start at Chelsea but he will also be looking for further improvement as November has been a month in which the Blues have typically struggled.