Antonio Conte will lead Chelsea to the title this term because he has transformed their style and mentality says Fabio Capello
Blues boss wasn't afraid to do things his way after early-season troubles, according to the fellow Italian and ex-England chief
FABIO CAPELLO believes Antonio Conte will lead Chelsea to the Premier League title after turning around the Stamford Bridge dressing-room.
Conte revealed earlier this season that fellow Italian and former England manager Capello had warned him about the challenges of the Premier League before he took the job last summer.
But Capello admitted on Tuesday that Conte's assault on the top-flight in his debut season in England had come as no surprise. The Blues are currently eight points clear of Manchester City.
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He said: "It's not a surprise. I know him well and he did good things with teams in Italy like Siena and Juventus.
"He is a really smart manager and understands how to work with players.
"He didn't have a great start after losing four games but he knew something wasn't right in the dressing room.
"He got rid of some of the old players which was important and put in new young players.
"He changed the style of the team and the mentality of the team.
"He's also got Diego Costa back in side after he wanted to leave the club."
Capello, speaking ahead of Tuesday night's Laureus Sports Awards in Monaco, said: "Now you can see a real team spirit. They have a winning mentality. Last year they finished mid-table and this is like a completely different team.
"There are still a lot of games to play, big teams to play and it will be difficult even with nine points but I think he will win the title with Chelsea."
Capello also believes that the PLAYERS at last year's title winners Leicester need to show some fighting spirit to avoid the drop.
Boss Claudio Ranieri, who is under-pressure after a series of defeats for the Foxes, is also a pal of Capello.
And he said: "Claudio is a really good friend of mine and he pulled off a miracle last year.
"I saw their game against Swansea at the weekend and he's not lucky at the moment.
"I think the team have lost the spirit of last year. They don't fight like last year and they lost a really important player in Kante.
"That's made the difference and for Chelsea too. I hope in a short time they can recover the points but he's not the kind of guy to walk away even if they get relegated."
Capello, 70, has also dismissed reports linking him to Arsenal if Arsene Wenger finally decides to call it a day this summer.
He said: "I'm too old now."