The former Blues midfielder praised the work of the Italian boss at Stamford Bridge, and his handling of his fiery striker
Former Chelsea midfielder Michael Ballack lauded manager Antonio Conte for guiding Chelsea back to the Premier League summit.
Chelsea faltered dramatically in their title defence last season as Jose Mourinho lost his job and the Londoners finished 10th.
But with Conte at the helm, Chelsea are top of the table, eight points clear of Arsenal after 22 matches.
And Ballack praised the work of the former Juventus boss at Stamford Bridge.
"The surprise was, last year, that they were so bad," he said.