Chelsea defender Kurt Zouma says that manager Antonio Conte is a perfectionist when it comes to preparing the team for the games.

Conte has managed to transform the fortunes of Chelsea from a team that struggled to even qualify for the Europa League last season into title contenders once again. A 10 point advantage at the top of the table sees the team classified as favourites to win the league title for a second time in three seasons. One of the reasons for this excellent form in the campaign appears to be the meticulous preparation taken up by the manager.

Zouma spend a significant chunk of the campaign on the sidelines, but he recently returned to first team action. Even though he has been unable to establish itself in the starting lineup, Zouma remains an integral part of the squad.

He is seen as one of the future names expected to marshal the Chelsea defence, as the likes of Gary Cahill and David Luiz are into their 30s while John Terry is expected to leave the club at the end of the season.Zouma says that a player has a lot to learn from Conte and his training regime. In the preparation for the matches, Conte goes through every detail for a player including their positioning within a metre.

“You learn very quickly with him [Conte] because he is so passionate, and wants to give us everything.He’s always behind us, every detail is important for him.Every time we watch videos, if you’re out of position by even one metre he says “stop, be one metre to the right and we will be good.”He wants to win every game and that desire to win and that energy we all need to gain,” said Zouma, who is yet to start a league match this season.