What’s been remarkable about Chelsea’s assault on the Premier League in recent weeks has been the way Antonio Conte has shifted around his formation and starting XI to masterful effect. 

Since a shaky start and a damning 3-0 loss to Arsenal back in September, the Italian diced things up, shifting to three central defenders and deploying indefatigable wing backs - Victor Moses and Marcos Alonso. With Eden Hazard and Pedro's incessant buzzing around the chief hornet, Diego Costa to such effect, and a blockade of defence in Thibaut Courtois, Gary Cahill, David Luiz and Cesar Azpilicueta, with Nemanja Matic, N’Golo Kante as reinforcements, they’ve evolved into another grinding Chelsea winning machine.

After the Arsenal game, everything has been a stroll down easy street, sauntering to ten-straight league wins, including victories over Spurs and Man City whilst drubbing Man Utd, Everton and Leicester 4-0, 5-0 and 3-0 respectively.

But, for all those names mentioned, Cesc Fabregas is notable by his absence.

Such a key player in the year Chelsea last won the league, under Jose Mourinho, and he started the season in the side, however with the shift in formation he was cast to the bench. Seemingly last season’s truffles, when Conte’s after more carne in the middle of the park - favouring the meaty pairing of Matic and Kante in those two central midfield berths.

Fabregas, it can be fairly said, lacks the punch in the tackle and defensive awareness and application of the Serb and the Frenchman who usurped him, also that when he was dropped Chelsea began to relentlessly win - 7 games on the spin without the Spaniard playing a minute. You can’t argue with perfection. However, with Matic picking up a knock prior to the Man City game, Fabregas was re-installed for what was a charged game at the Etihad. 

He had the desired impact, as Chelsea picked off their title challengers in a powerful display, Fabregas showed particular vision and and passing execution to pick out Diego Costa from inside his own half for their equalising goal. Forcing Gary Neville to comment “Fabregas/Costa - I thought that was a thing of the past?” referencing when they linked to such consistently devastating effect two seasons ago.

The next game saw Matic brought back into the side, and it’s here where Fabregas deserves real credit, because he kept his eye in and sat on the bench vs West Brom at home, where he would’ve maybe been expecting to start. With scores at 0-0 he was brought on with 16 minutes to go. Two minutes later Chelsea had nudged in front courtesy of yet another Diego Costa winner, supplied by… Well that sentence barely needs finishing. It wasn’t a vintage pass, or even that defence splitting, but Costa made the most of it and it was still a very telling contribution from the obliging Fabregas.

Wednesday’s game against Sunderland showed the former Barca man back to his usual self. Metronomic in his passing and most of Chelsea’s forward impetus came through him, capping off an accomplished performance by taking his goal in such a calm manner. Finishing off a one-two involving Willian with a sumptuously casual side-foot from the edge of the box that showed he has the mettle and demeanour to not feel the pressure of his place being under scrutiny. I guess the confidence doesn’t ebb away too quickly when you’ve won pretty much everything under the sun before the age of 30.

The funny thing is that the 3-4-3 formation is one that should suit Fabregas, especially with such a fantastic counterpoint in Kante alongside him, providing comfort knowing he has a hungry ball winner behind, whilst the opposition defence and midfield are kept busy looking after the wing backs, and three forwards. Matic is a safe player and one that you feel Conte will still opt for when the more physical challenges lay ahead, but especially since the City game, there’s an inkling that Conte will start to lean on Fabregas with increasingly regularity. As was after the Arsenal game, Fabregas's re-introduction has lead to 3 more wins - you can't argue with perfection.