STAMFORD BRIDGE, LondonOn the back of Chelsea's 2-1 victory over West Ham United on Monday, Antonio Conte was asked if the Blues' performance was a sign that his players are already playing like a team in his vision."Does this club now reflect your philosophy as a coach and as a player in the past'" a journalist asked.The question was geared to the Italian giving a view on where Chelsea's sudden rediscovery of their intensity had come from as, for the first time since they were crowned champions in 2015, the Blues had the look of being a unit again. There were some excellent individual performances, but it was collectively where this London derby was won.It was as a team that Chelsea harassed and harried West Ham out of possession; it was as a team that they squeezed central areas to win back possession before attacking at pace to turn the Hammers' defenders. It was as a team that the Blues looked conditioned; it was as a team they showed a desire to win.It's not often we have said any of that for much of the past 12 months. Yet here we are, one game into the season and the signs are that the conversation is beginning to become more positive."Any new manager who arrives in a new club tries to bring his philosophy of football," Conte reflected. "We are working only one month with the players, but I am pleased as tonight I saw the right intensity."[...] It's important to bring something different from last season. Every manager brings his own football philosophy, and for this reason, I am happy with the attitude and behaviour of the players. They are putting themselves in the team. To have a great team, this is important; to have the right spirit and the players."For all the focus we've given to what systems and formations the manager would introduce this season, it's been Conte's ability to tap into the Chelsea culture that has been overlooked.New manager and a new look it may have been, but this was same old Chelsea in the best possible sense.What we've seen in the past decade is Chelsea win things with no shortage of graft, sprinkled with an element of stardust that Roman Abramovich's deep pockets have attracted. When Jose Mourinho first came in as boss in 2004, it was Arjen Robben and Damien Duff on the flanks who were doing it, with Frank Lampard a commanding figure through the middle to complement Didier Drogba's threat.In one form or another, that evolved. Joe Cole became a big part of Chelsea's success, while Michael Ballack and Juan Mata were additions in latter years, alongside current players Eden Hazard, Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa.John Terry has been the captain piecing it all together.For any of those players to shine, Chelsea have had to adapt a work ethic that meant they flourished. Before the Blues outclassed teams, they have outworked them. They have combined together to squeeze the life from opponents before killing them off.It hasn't always been pleasant or easy on the eye, but it has been incredibly effective. It's that approach that has won the club four Premier League titles in 12 years, along with four FA Cups, three League Cups, the Europa League and the jewel in the crown, the Champions League.Somewhere along the line, Chelsea seem to have lost sight of that. Call it embarrassment or a simple desire to be appealing at a time when tiki-taka was on the rise, transfer policies have taken the Stamford Bridge club away from what has made them such a force.We thought Mourinho's return in 2013 would see a switch back in that direction, but the way it all ended showed it wasn't working. Now Conte seems to have gone some way to restoring it. It's only one game into the season, but he has unearthed those qualities of old.Change Hazard's penalty on Monday night for a Lampard strike from 12 yards and Costa's 89th-minute winner for a Drogba finish and this result wouldn't be out of place among any of Chelsea's most successful seasons.It was all there; the qualities of old helping take the club forward in the present.That Conte has shown no reluctance to restore that is a sign he understands what Chelsea are all about. He inherited a team that had bottomed out, yet outside of the poor results and bad taste left over from 2015/16, he is in charge of something substantial at Stamford Bridge.However, the fact it's taken an outsider to remind the club of what it's all about is disappointing. From a desire within to go in another direction, Conte's appointment has allowed him to lead the way back down the path Chelsea had traveled before.In May, we had been left wondering what Chelsea were all about. With the changing face of football, there was a risk they were becoming irrelevant. Even if it was just one bad season in 12, the landscape can change so rapidly that clubs struggle to get back to what they were.Just ask Liverpool fans, who have been waiting over 25 years for another league crown. When Manchester United, Arsenal and even Chelsea were knocking them off their perch, the expectation was that they would become the dominant team in England again. History told them they would, but they are still waiting.In the three months or so since the previous campaign ended, Chelsea's identity is showing its face again.What Conte has done in this past five weeks is use Chelsea's own recent history to good effect. He's restoring confidence by telling his players they should be proud to represent the ethos of what has made the Blues what they are in the modern game. We know that because of the way they performed against West Ham.Sure, a big part of what has got Chelsea here has been the investment Abramovich has made. In the process of it all, the club has found a beating heart at its very core, though, and Contehas got it pumping again; not just with his players, but the fans also.He thanked them for the presentation at the start of the game where thousands of blue, white and red flags were waved in the upper tie of the Matthew Harding Stand to form the Italian flag to officially welcome him to Stamford Bridge.Conte spoke of being emotional at the sight of it, but it was his emotions at the end of the game that really fuelled this idea of galvanising the Chelsea spirit.Jumping into the crowd to celebrate with the fans after Costa struck, Conte has pinned his colours firmly to the mast. Grabbing those closest to him in a moment of catharsis, it was the manager showing supporters he feels it as much as they do.From top to bottom, players to fans, Conte is reminding Chelsea of where they have come from and what they are.There's no need to try to replicate Barcelona's identity or that of any other club; Chelsea have their own, and they need to celebrate it more than they have been. It's won them titles before, and on the evidence of Monday night against West Ham, it's going to continue winning them football matches.Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise indicated. Follow him on Twitter@garryhayes
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