Sunday 30 October 2016 15:44, UK
Eden Hazard is thriving in his new role under Antonio Conte – but title race dark horses Chelsea face a tough test at Southampton, says Jamie Redknapp...
Chelsea have changed their formation and Eden Hazard has been one of the big benefactors.
Antonio Conte's switch to a 3-4-3 has freed up the Belgian to go and play a more exciting role for the team and he's responded with four goals - matching his total for all of last season.
When you play Hazard out on the left, he's reliant on his team-mates getting the ball out to him on that flank. And that's not always easy for the midfield to do. If they can't find him in space, in the right areas, it becomes difficult for both the player and the team, who are relying on him.
But with Hazard playing almost as a No 10 now, in between the lines in a more central area off Diego Costa, it suits him. He's got license to go left, to go right and against Manchester United he was phenomenal.
I don't think he had a point to prove against Jose Mourinho, or that playing against his old boss had anything to do with it. He's just playing really well at the moment, loving his football and that shows in his confidence on the ball.
If Chelsea can master this formation, I really think they are going to be a danger this year.
But it's not just Hazard. Across the pitch Chelsea are looking strong. With no European football and now no EFL Cup ties to worry about, they will have a lot of time on the training field to work on this system. And if they can master this formation, I really think they are going to be a danger this year.
Conte certainly feels he's got the right personnel to make a success of it and I'd say they are dark horses for the title. They're not my favourites to win it - but they could be in the mix.
And that shows the progress they've made, because I was worried for them a few weeks ago.
However, they'll be in for a stern test at Southampton on Sunday.
At the start of the season I feared for them a little. I'm sure plenty of Southampton fans did, too. They've been on such an upward trend this last four or five years but I thought this could have been the year where you say 'you cannot keep running your football club like this, you can't keep getting rid of the likes of Sadio Mane, Victor Wanyama and Graziano Pelle and expect to progress'.
But - although it's still early in the season - the signs have been good for Southampton. They're getting good results and the performances are impressive.
Their success starts from their solid base. Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld would probably be the No 1 centre-back partnership in the Premier League right now, but Virgil van Dijk and Jose Fonte aren't far behind.
They're fantastic - and have a very good goalkeeper in Fraser Forster behind them. Only Tottenham have conceded fewer goals in the Premier League so far this season.
Ahead of that defence, Southampton have a lot of strength and energy in the team. Interestingly, they've given Nathan Redmond a chance up front, with Charlie Austin playing off to one of the sides. Not many people would have expected them to line up like that in the summer.
But it shows how Claude Puel sees things slightly differently and knows how to get the best out of his players.
He's not an exciting manager - you don't rush to see what he's said in his press conferences or after a game. But he's obviously got the respect of his players and they are responding to what he wants from them.
Redmond is a perfect example of that. He has never been a striker before but he's the one who sets the tempo, pressing from the front. He's doing well with the ball, scoring three goals in nine games, but he's also working extremely hard for the team.
They signed him for £11m in the summer but you could get twice that for him tomorrow. What a bargain!
Another player performing well for them this season is Oriol Romeu. He'll be up against Hazard on Sunday and what a battle that will be. Hazard will be trying to exploit that space between defence and midfield, while Romeu - a former Chelsea player - will be out to stop him and break up the play.
Whoever comes out on top of that one could be key to the outcome. However, I reckon Chelsea will just edge it. It won't be easy and Southampton's excellent defence won't give up many chances, but I'm going for a narrow win for Conte's men.
