The naysayers will point to a 2-0 victory over Hull City being par for the course for a Chelsea manager, but it was the circumstances surrounding the result that would have left Blues supporters feeling more positive for where the club is headed.
If August delivered Chelsea a false dawn in some respects—Conte's side won all four of their games in all competitions—then September was a more sobering experience.
Chelsea picked up just one point in the Premier League, losing to rivals Liverpool and Arsenal on successive weekends. Those defeats were confirmation that Conte's attempts to transform Chelsea are going to take much longer than the few months he has been in charge.