Antonio Conte is pleased with Chelsea's team spirit as they look to gain some revenge against Stoke

Last season Chelsea were beaten 1-0 by Stoke at the bet365 stadium, a result which saw them slide to 16th in the table. This year, a win on Saturday would see them go 13 points clear at the top

Chelsea’s 1-0 defeat to Stoke at the bet365 Stadium was one of the lowest points in the club's dismal 2015/16 campaign. 

Fast-forward some 16 months and things could not be more different. New manager Antonio Conte has made an instant impression at Stamford Bridge and a victory over Stoke this Saturday would see his side extend their lead at the top of the Premier League to a staggering 13 points.

Conte attributes this remarkable turnaround to a newfound team spirit, fostered in part by his effort to give every player the same amount of attention during training sessions, regardless of whether they are in his starting XI or not.

“When you have 21 players in the squad you have to give all the players the same level of importance and always pay great attention to every single player in training,” Conte said in his weekly news conference at Chelsea’s Cobham Training Centre.

“If you do not pay attention to one player in training and do not want to improve him, it is a lack of respect for that player. In this situation, it is right that a player would be unhappy.” No two players demonstrate this improved team spirit better than Nemanja Matic and Cesc Fabregas.

Fabregas lost his position in Chelsea’s first-team to the Serbian at the beginning of the season but, rather than agitating for a move away from the club, he informed his employers that he was willing to knuckle down and convince Conte that he had an important part to play in the club’s title challenge.

After a long spell out of the team, Fabregas returned to Chelsea’s starting line-up in the 3-1 Premier League win against Swansea and played well enough to retain his spot for the 2-0 win away to West Ham.

And despite his spell on the substitute’s bench earlier in the season, only five other players in the Premier League have assisted more than the 7 goals he has had a hand in this season. Conte has been delighted with his impact and stressed ahead of the Stoke match how important it is for Chelsea to rotate the two midfielders.