Antonio Conte delighted with Chelsea's team spirit as they look to gain some revenge against Stoke

Last season Chelsea were beaten 1-0 by Stoke at the bet365 stadium, a result which saw them slide to 16th in the table. This year, a win on Saturday would see them go 13 points clear at the top

Conte has been particularly pleased with Fabregas this season (Getty)

Chelsea’s 1-0 defeat to Stoke at the bet365 Stadium was one of the lowest points in the club's dismal 2015/16 campaign.

Marko Arnautović struck the only goal of the game, Jose Mourinho watched from a hotel having been handed a one-match stadium ban and Chelsea slid to 16^th in the table having lost the fixture.

Fast-forward some 16 months and things could not be more different. New manager Antonio Conte has made an instant impression at Stamford Bridge and a victory over Stoke this Saturday would see his side extend their lead at the top of the Premier League to a staggering 13 points.

Conte attributes this remarkable turnaround to a newfound team spirit, fostered in part by his effort to give every player the same amount of attention during training sessions, regardless of whether they are in his starting XI or not.

“When you have 21 players in the squad you have to give all the players the same level of importance and always pay great attention to every single player in training,” Conte said in his weekly news conference at Chelsea’s Cobham Training Centre.

“If you do not pay attention to one player in training and do not want to improve him, it is a lack of respect for that player. In this situation, it is right that a player would be unhappy.”

An Arnautović strike sunk Chelsea last season (Getty)

No two players demonstrate this improved team spirit better than Nemanja Matic and Cesc Fabregas.

Fabregas lost his position in Chelsea’s first-team to the Serbian at the beginning of the season but, rather than agitating for a move away from the club, he informed his employers that he was willing to knuckle down and convince Conte that he had an important part to play in the club’s title challenge.

After a long spell out of the team, Fabregas returned to Chelsea’s starting line-up in the 3-1 Premier League win against Swansea and played well enough to retain his spot for the 2-0 win away to West Ham.

And despite his spell on the substitute’s bench earlier in the season, only five other players in the Premier League have assisted more than the 7 goals he has had a hand in this season. Conte has been delighted with his impact and stressed ahead of the Stoke match how important it is for Chelsea to rotate the two midfielders.

Matic and Fabregas have alternated in Chelsea's midfield (Getty)

“This season Cesc has shown himself to be a great professional but, above all, a great player,” Conte said. “This season he faced a new situation because in the past he has always played every single game. And it's not easy to change. But he has improved in all aspects and is a really important player.

“In the case of Fabregas and Matic it is important to manage the situation and see game by game. We are talking about two great players with different characteristics. Matic is more physical and more technical. Cesc gives other great qualities: great fantasy and assists.

“With both players at the top of their form, it is not easy for me to make the best decisions.”

Conte also offered encouragement to the younger players in his squad, although he conceded it may be necessary for some to go back out on loan in order to further their careers.

Chelsea possess a talented crop of younger players but the likes of Kurt Zouma, Nathan Aké, Nathaniel Chalobah and Ruben Loftus-Cheek have found opportunities in the league difficult to come by this season. The quartet have just 13 Premier League appearances between them this season.

“The younger players must have the ambition to play in the first-team and that is normal. I want to see this, this ambition. That they want to show me they deserve to play with the first-team,” he added.

“It is important now to be focused on the present but when the right moment comes we will make the right situation for every player who is young and whether they need to go on loan to play.

"We will try to take the best decision for the player and for the club.”