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Champions: How the Blues Won the Title


After a slow start, Chelsea found a bit of form and never looked back. There’s still more to come from the Blues, they could be the first team to win 30 league games in the Premier League era if they pick up six points in their final two games, but we take a look back at how Chelsea won the title.

Work in the Window

Conte’s work in the transfer window was almost perfect. He got everything right for how he wanted his Chelsea team to play. Beginning at the back, most considered him crazy to bring back David Luiz to the club but he’s stepped up to the plate in the heart of the back three.

Conte’s switch to a three-man defence wouldn’t have been possible without Luiz and Marcos Alonso who made the switch in the summer for a cool £23million. Another transfer which from the outside looked strange, he’s been a key cog at left wing back, while N’Golo Kante has without doubt been the signing of the season.

Naturally, his contribution to the season doesn’t need explaining but credit has to go to Conte for bringing in exactly the right players to mount that title challenge.

Tactial Genius

With the right players brought in, it allowed Antonio Conte to craft his side into exactly what he wanted. Creating a system which allowed Eden Hazard, Diego Costa and Pedro to flourish eliminating most of their defensive duties and allowing them to do what they do best, attack.

After getting that balance right, the Blues went on a fantastic 13 game winning streak which saw them concede very few thanks to Kante’s tireless efforts in midfield and a back three who were working in perfect harmony.

Not dropping a point across three months saw them draw away from their title rivals, and it was all down to Conte’s master tactictionary. He managed to transform Victor Moses into a wing back and such is the formation’s power they’ve stayed top of the league for almost six months.

 

That Semi-Final Win

A nine-game winning streak for Spurs saw the North London gain some ground on Chelsea so the FA Cup Semi-Final between the two clubs was a big one not only in the cup but in the race for the title too.

If Spurs won, it could have sent a very clear message to Chelsea and eaten at the club’s nerves in the final few games of the season. Instead, what we saw was another masterclass, putting a huge dent in Tottenham’s confidence and gave the Blues the momentum to go all the way.

From there goals flowed once more and Tottenham began to falter, losing to West Ham while the Blues smashed four past Southampton and three past Middlesbrough. On Friday the title was theirs.

Now they have the chance to become record breakers again. Win against Watford on Monday night and Sunderland on the final day of the season not only will Conte’s first season go down in Chelsea history, it’ll go down in Premier League history too.