How Kurt Zouma's Capital One Cup Final Display Has Transformed Chelsea's Squad

Jose Mourinho's new era of success at Chelsea officially started on Sunday when he watched his team lift the Capital One Cup trophy at Wembley.

It was a significant step in the process of transforming the group of players he inherited in 2013 into champions.

They've got that winning feeling now, and the expectation is that they will only go on to claim even more success.

In the process of that 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur, Mourinho stumbled upon something equally as important: Kurt Zouma's ability as a defensive midfielder.

Without the suspended Nemanja Matic to boss that area of the pitch, there were big concerns about how Chelsea would cope with a Spurs attack—one boasting the considerable talents of Christian Eriksen and Harry Kane.

Mourinho had experienced it first hand on New Year's Day when the pair tore through his defence, Kane bagging a brace in a convincing 5-3 victory for Spurs.

Without Matic, questions were raised about Chelsea's ability to cut the supply line from midfield. There was no standout replacement in Mourinho's squad and his hand was forced.

In came Zouma.

It's been a remarkable 2015 for the French youngster, who is now considered a genuine contender with Gary Cahill for a place alongside John Terry at the back.

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He has emerged as a big talent, so much so Mourinho wasn't afraid to compare him with one of France's finest defenders in the aftermath of his Capital One Cup final display.

"[Zouma is] is our new Marcel Desailly," the Chelsea boss boldly stated after the game.

"He worked hard during the week, he did it at other times—we were preparing him now and again before— and he did a fantastic job for us.

"I think with Fabregas and Ramires [in there], we would have been in trouble against a team like Tottenham."

It was high praise indeed.

In the same way victory at Wembley has transformed the mindset of this Chelsea team, Zouma's performance has altered the dynamic of the squad Mourinho has at his disposal.

There are options throughout, and suddenly he has them in an area where they have lacked depth outside of Matic.

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Zouma was quick to play down any comparison with his compatriot Desailly—a man who served Chelsea so well from 1998 through to 2004—but the similarities were there.

Despite it being his first game in that position—and in a cup final no less—he played with the authority we once saw from Desailly, a man who performed the same role at times in his career, also playing centre-back.

Zouma read the game well, wasn't rash and showed his maturity. There were times he was found out of position and momentarily exposed, but that even happened to Desailly at times.

His job on Sunday was to play Matic's role—screen the defence and break up Spurs' attacks.

By that measure, it was faultless from Zouma. It also got the best out of Cahill, who put in one of his finest performances of the season.

Spurs hadn't controlled proceedings before the interval, yet Mauricio Pochettino's side had looked the most threatening.

They had runners off the ball, were causing problems on the break, and with Eriksen's free-kick that smashed back off the bar, they had come closest to scoring.

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Chelsea limited them to long-range efforts, though. Petr Cech didn't find himself exposed in goal, and any threat in and around the box was snuffed out a fearsome defensive unit that Zouma formed a big part of.

Ahead of this week's visit to West Ham United in the Premier League, Mourinho was back praising Zouma's ability, but he did explain to journalists that his long-term future isn't in midfield.

"We were feeling his confidence in the week [ahead of the Capital One Cup final]," he explained. "I don't like to ask players to do things that they are not ready to do, but [Zouma] was showing every day in the week that confidence [that he could perform in midfield].

"[But] it's not his future at Chelsea to play in this position."

Sunday's victory was reminiscent of Chelsea in Mourinho's first spell. Rather than go toe to toe with Spurs and risk the game getting away from them, Chelsea squeezed the life out of it.

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They sucked the life from Spurs and then pounced ruthlessly when Terry scored on the stroke of half-time to kill the spirit of the opposition.

If that was a sign of the past, Zouma represented the future. He may not become an out-and-out midfielder, yet his manager knows what he can do when the moment calls for it.

Between now and May, Chelsea hope to be competing for honours in the Champions League as well as protecting their lead at the top of the Premier League to keep Manchester City at bay.

Zouma's midfield exploits have just made himself vital to that.

Mourinho lifted silverware at Wembley and uncovered a gem in the process.

Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes