It has taken far longer than anyone at Chelsea wanted but Thibaut Courtois believes they have become a team to be feared once again and, for him, it is down to the effort of interim manager Guus Hiddink.
Last season, many sides were beaten before a ball was kicked as the Blues led from the start to claim a fourth title in 11 years.
But that air of invincibility vanished in a flash this season. Nine defeats in the first 16 matches left them one point above the relegation zone and suffering a humiliation no Premier League champions had been forced to cope with.
Manager Jose Mourinho was fired and interim boss Hiddink was brought in just before Christmas.
The Dutchman’s impact has been clear. Two months on from his appointment, they go to Norwich tonight boasting the longest unbeaten run in the top flight of 11 matches and having just won their first back-to-back games in the League since last April.
Victory this evening would see them climb to eighth in the table —their highest placing since August.
Of course, it is too little too late as far as Chelsea are concerned but Courtois has noticed how opponents have been paying the Blues far more respect in recent weeks.
The goalkeeper said: “In the beginning of the season, because we were champions, teams were more motivated because they wanted to win against the holders. That’s normal.
“But when we struggled after the first few games, the other teams saw we were a bit weak and tried to attack us, to put our confidence down. Obviously, a lot of teams were happy to play us because we were in a weak moment and they could beat us.
“But now things have changed and it isn’t like that anymore. We are playing very well and obviously we want to end the season well.
“A few of our players have reached their best level again and we have started to win matches. The atmosphere in training is very good, we train very hard with a lot of intensity.”
Clearly Hiddink’s arrival has had the desired effect. Striker Diego Costa has scored seven goals in his last nine League matches, while midfielder Cesc Fabregas’s return of two goals and three assists under the Dutchman does not reflect the huge contribution he has made.
Courtois added: “I think Hiddink has just tried to adjust some small details, but he has not changed a lot.
“Maybe on the training pitch he has just helped us have confidence again. I don’t know about everyone else, but I had some talks with the manager. I guess he has with other players.
“Sometimes confidence can change things. When Diego scored his first goal after a while, he went on to get more. Sometimes one moment can change everything.”
Given Chelsea’s title challenge ended months ago and they are 11 points off a top-four place, one might think the League is not much of a priority.
After all, next week Chelsea face Paris St Germain at home and Everton away in the Champions League and FA Cup respectively in the only two competitions they have a chance of winning this term.
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