One of the sure signs that things were going downhill at Chelsea was the way that Antonio Conte gradually lost his passion as the season wore on.
From the moment the title defence began to look difficult, the fire he had showed on the touchline all of last season began to fade. His runs down the touchline grew less common as there was less and less to play for.
Since the turn of the year, even his constantly harassing of his players and the referee had declined, he rarely wore suits and he became more and more subdued.
While he was still in a tracksuit yesterday, there was a little spark back in his manner.
He was back to shouting for 90 minutes, and the team responded well, following up their comeback at the weekend with a good performance to beat an in form Burnley side.
With only a few games let at Chelsea for the Italian, could it be that he’s ready to stoke the fires for one last push?
