When Antonio Conte made a substitution of seemingly little substance with Chelsea 3-0 down at Arsenal in late September, few would have predicted it was a fresh start for his team to build title ambitions on.
Marcos Alonso replaced Cesc Fabregas after 55 minutes at the Emirates and the Blues switched to three at the back. Little changed there but fast-forward six weeks and Chelsea are the Premier League’s form side and a point off the top spot.
It is a remarkable turnaround. Ronald Koeman said of Conte’s 3-4-3 after watching his Everton side get torn apart on Saturday: ’I’ve never seen a team so strong playing this system.