When a football team go on a long winning run like Chelsea, winners of 12 matches in a row in the English Premier League (EPL), the team will be incredibly hard to stop.

In the 2007 S-League season, my club Warriors FC were flying. We strung together a couple of runs that stretched six to seven victories in a row but in the final 10 games, we won eight and drew two of our last 10 to take the title.

We felt unbeatable, the momentum was simply too strong to be broken. There was so much confidence in the team and I felt that too as I scored 37 goals in 33 games for my best-ever season haul.

Teams that go on such winning streaks are happy teams. Even the reserves at Chelsea seem happy and no one is complaining about not getting enough playing time.

Full credit to Antonio Conte for transforming the Blues.

Not many would have expected the Italian to make such a huge difference, from reviving off-form players to introducing new tactics, to changing the mood at the club. It is his first season in England and he was expected to take time to settle down.

But Conte has proven himself to be a brilliant man manager. So many players lost their form last season under Jose Mourinho, but now players like Eden Hazard, Pedro Rodriguez and Diego Costa are flying with goals aplenty.

One of the biggest success stories is Victor Moses. The Nigerian winger had always looked like a second-rate player at Stamford Bridge and was always loaned out. But Conte gave him a chance, gave him a vote of confidence and now, Moses is a first XI regular playing the best football of his career.

Conte should also be credited for reviving the three-man rearguard. This tactic was last seen 20 years ago and you need very specialised players to pull this strategy off.

With three central defenders, you need a ball-playing centre-back who is comfortable with dribbling out of defence to initiate attacks. Meanwhile, your wing-backs must be strong enough to both attack and defend proficiently. If your flanks are exposed, you are vulnerable to the counter-attack.

The Chelsea coach gambled but it has paid off handsomely so far.

I thought David Luiz was a risky transfer because he is such a shaky defender, but the Brazilian loves to attack and is doing a great job linking up with the midfield.

This is shaping up to be arguably the most competitive EPL season ever. Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester United are all in hot pursuit of Chelsea.

It is likely that the Blues will drop points at one stage or another but without European football to distract them and Conte's man-management magic, the players are hungrier than ever.

Arsenal still hold the longest winning run in the EPL with 14 matches and Chelsea's next two league games are a straightforward affair against Stoke (Saturday) and a tricky game with Tottenham (Jan 5). The Spurs meeting will be the first major test of the Blues' title credentials and will determine if Conte's men will be the runaway leaders.

It is incredible to think that at this time last year, morale at Stamford Bridge was rock bottom with fans upset over Mourinho's sacking.

What a tremendous job Conte has done and he is telling the rest of the EPL: "Catch me if you can."