The Blues boss has overseen a reversal in fortune at Stamford Bridge, but he was lucky to be able to build on the work of his predecessors
Jose Mourinho left a legacy at Chelsea that has made Antonio Conte’s job easier, according to Chris Kamara.
The Portuguese tactician was removed from his post at Stamford Bridge 12 months ago during a torrid campaign, and is now in charge of the Blues’ Premier League rivals Manchester United.
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He did, however, return the top-flight crown during a second spell in west London, to go with the impressive haul of silverware he collected first time around.
A modern day Chelsea icon, the manner in which he was forced through the exit will rankle with Mourinho, as a title-winning outfit endured an alarming slump under his tutelage.
He did, however, leave the pieces in place for his successors, with Guus Hiddink helping to steady the ship before passing the baton to Conte.
Kamara said in the Daily Star : “Some managers leave a legacy that new managers can come in and enhance on – and that’s what’s happened at Chelsea [with Mourinho].
“The basis of the team was there but Conte has come in and revived the players that under-performed last season.
“He’s brought in one or two new changes – the system is certainly a lot different now – and he’s found the way he wants to play after so many games.
“You can see from the reaction of Diego Costa after he scored against Crystal Palace where he went straight to the manager how much it means.”
Conte currently has Chelsea on an 11-game winning run, with that sequence of results having helped them to edge six points clear at the Premier League summit.
A remarkable surge was sparked once the Blues switched to a 3-4-3 system, with Kamara acknowledging that their Italian coach has addressed the right areas since taking the reins.
He added: “I watched Italy in the Euros and their system there. The only thing they didn’t have was a striker to finish it off.
“Defensively they were absolutely superb and you thought ‘is he going to bring that to Chelsea?’
“To his credit, he decided to have a look at the old system to see how it was and he soon realised even in the Premier League you can play three at the back and be successful.”
