EPL 2016/17: 5 storylines that no one saw coming

Conte’s tactical nous has him placed and Chelsea on top of the EPL tree

The beauty of football to most is that it’s a real-life drama. No matter how hard you try to analyse the x’s and o’s of the situation, you can never really accurately predict every outcome that happens during a season.

Case and point, Leicester City last season. If you genuinely knew that would happen, you’re lying.

While the 2016/17 hasn’t thrown us quite that big of a curveball, there still has been plenty that sometimes make you take a second look. There have been some surprising renaissances, newcomers that have lit up the stage and plenty of those that have let us down.

Here’s a look at five storylines the EPL have provided so far this season that no one saw coming

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#1 – Antonio Conte is the cream of the managerial crop

Admit it, you were all swept up by the managerial whirlwind happening in Manchester, weren’t you? The ying and yang of Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho at City and United respectively held everyone’s attention as the potential titanic tussle for the title.

Then some Italian stole a march on them.

That’s a great disservice to Conte, who was special in both his previous jobs with Juventus and the Italian national team, where he exceeded expectations. But could he really turn around a Chelsea team who sank the year before so quickly?

Absolutely. The 47-year-old stuck with the Blues’ familiar 4-3-3 for a few weeks before switching to his preferred 3-4-4 formation and the club have not looked back since.

It breathed new life into the likes of Eden Hazard and Diego Costa, with both rediscovering the form that deserted them under previous management. Imperious up top again, with a Makelele heir in N’Golo Kante and a solidity through a back three they desperately missed, it’s no surprise that they are odds-on to win the league.

Some will lament the time Conte has had to implement his style due to a lack of European commitments but regardless, he has been almost faultless. With all the other big name managers somewhat hogging the limelight, it is the Italian who has bested them all.