It was famously at half-time in a drubbing by Arsenal that Antonio Conte unveiled his moment of inspiration last season. Switching to three at the back, his Blues stemmed the flow, and then went on to rampage through a remarkable winning run – which ultimately chalked up the points to secure the title.

The new formation was, of course, no mere whim over the interval energy drinks. Conte had been planning the transition for weeks, and it seems something similar has been taking place this season. Fast forward to the 4-0 thrashing of West Brom this past weekend, and Chelsea’s latest evolution appears to have hit its stride.

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If you couldn't quite put your finger on what was different, the Italian dropped a post-match clue: talking of the two strikers in his side.

Chelsea's Eden Hazard celebrates scoring their fourth goal with Alvaro Morata Image credit: Reuters

The formation that last season topped the Premier League was never really a 3-4-3. The back three were, at times, bolstered by two agile wing-backs, who had the energy and mobility to transition into forward players when needed. Inside their positions were two truer midfielders: the catch-all N'Golo Kante, and usually Nemanja Matic to put in the yards up and down the centre. The forward three was really only one striker – Diego Costa – with support from Eden Hazard and Pedro.

The system worked so well because Chelsea could shift easily from having five at the back to having five at the front – always outnumbering their opponents in any situation. At The Hawthorns, and in flashes on other recent occasions, we've seen something slightly different – and the main distinction lies in better use of Hazard's forward energy.

On his day, his brilliance is never far from sight; but against the admittedly shambolic Baggies, he looked a different class. Working with new number nine Alvaro Morata, he seemed to completely confuse the opposition defence. But why make the switch?

There were signs that Conte's tactical revolution was starting to get found out by opposing coaches. They realised that by closing down the wing-backs, it is possible to halt the main movement of the team. That seems to have been part of the thinking in the Matic for Tiemoue Bakayoko switch: the Frenchman offering far more movement up the middle of the park. The five-man midfield also creates space for Cesc Fabregas – underused last season.

Eden Hazard of Chelsea (C) celebrates his goal, the first for Chelsea with Cesc Fabregas (R) and Cesar Azpilicueta Image credit: Getty Images

Ahead of him, Morata is far more mobile a man than Costa, and his positioning, particularly for the aerial ball, is probably the best in the league right now. But he lacks the muscle, and the bullying of defenders, which made Costa such a natural for English football.

Chelsea simply don't have another player like Costa, who could bag a goal any time by simply barging through the opposing back line. So if you can't go through a wall, the only other options are to go over it (a la Morata), or around it: which is where Hazard comes in.

Conte has several times, of late, alluded to problems in settling his side the way he wants it this season. That mainly seems to be down to the drilling of the team to play with the precision he expects in training. But personnel is clearly also an issue here: David Luiz, deposed in the XI by Andreas Christensen, could not have been clearer about his opinion of this in his entirely negative body language during Saturday's 'warm-up'. Plus a major spanner was chucked in the works by the enforced absence of Kante.

Chelsea may well have further to go in their adoption of the new formation, but with Conte absolutely wedded to his idea of systems, there has to be a real chance we are now seeing what he believes to be his best side. We'll know it's there when rotation ceases almost completely, aside from absences which cannot be avoided. Conte is no 'Tinkerman'.

Some have claimed this 3-5-2 is Conte's 'preferred' formation, but the Blues boss has always insisted against this: he is an engineer who uses the tools available to him, in order to find the best solution. Finally this season, that solution is at his disposal.

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