Chelsea boss Antonio Conte says his Blues players that notched a seventh Premier League win on the spin against Tottenham are a team transformed from the one that lost against Liverpool and Arsenal this season.
The Italian said the first incarnation of his Chelsea side would have wilted in the face of Tottenham's high-pressing start to the game at Stamford Bridge.
"We are another team, compared to the [one that played against] Liverpool and Arsenal, I'm sure," said Conte . "If we were the same team today, we would lose the game for sure.
"We're working a lot and they [the players] enjoy this type of football but it's normal in this type of game that you can't dominate the full game.
"We won and I'm pleased because it wasn't easy. We're talking about Tottenham, not about a team at the bottom of the table."
The Chelsea boss deflected blame from his goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois , for trying to play out from the back even as Tottenham's Heung-Min Son made regular defensive recipient Cesar Azpilicueta's life a nightmare during the first half.
"We work on this aspect," said Conte, of the desire to ape Pep Guardiola and play out from the back. "I want to play from the back and ask this from my players. The fault is mine always, not the players.
"We can improve a lot if we start from the back but it's important to start."
That is a sentiment to send a chill through Conte's rival managers even if the former Juventus coach added his usual rejoinder to any championship talk.
"Today, or in this period if we talk about this [the title], it's not right because we have to improve a lot and we have a long way in front of us," he added.
"On Saturday we have another strong team and we don't forget we lost to Arsenal and Liverpool."
