Chelsea's Jekyll-and-Hyde Act Shows the Improvements Under Antonio Conte

On one hand, Chelsea's performance against Leicester City on Tuesday night outlined all that is wrong with Antonio Conte's side. On the other, it showed the improvements the Blues have made in the short time he has been manager.

From two goals down owing to some amateurish defending, Chelsea eventually won the game 4-2 in extra time to progress to the fourth round of the EFL Cup. The comeback took a bit of luck to be pulled off but was largely defined by guts and no shortage of class when it really mattered in the final third.

What we saw at the King Power Stadium would have made Robert Louis Stevenson proud; it was vintage Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. That's not necessarily a bad thing, either.

It's territory we've touched upon already this season. As recently as Friday the talk was of how Conte has much to do to get this Chelsea transformed into something resembling his Chelsea. The manager spoke after the defeat to Liverpool about how we must remind ourselves that the Blues were a mid-table team last season.

When a group of players suffers like Chelsea did in 2015/16, the cracks aren't filled in one summer. The process takes time, and repairs will come undone along the way and will need to be given more attention.

Losing to Liverpool the way they did—being outclassed and dominated—the wounds from last term were feeling all too raw. Shinji Okazaki's first-half brace on Tuesday night to put Leicester 2-0 up was a further reminder.

Chelsea fans were left fearing the worst. Not only were the Blues a blunt force in attack, they were being picked off at the back through little effort from Leicester's frontmen. Both goals from Okazaki should have been prevented.

Whereas Chelsea would have crumbled last season, this time they rallied to come back at the home of the champions. Foxes manager Claudio Ranieri may have rested some of his big guns, yet it still took mental strength and character to overcome that psychological barrier that exists for most teams traveling to Leicester right now.

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Not only were Chelsea fighting against that tide, they were facing their own demons in the process. They were gifting Leicester the game, wrapping it with a pretty bow and sending them off into the next round. Something needed to give, and eventually, the Blues rediscovered the character of old to claw their way back in.

It was by no means pretty, although that shouldn't be Conte's concern at this moment. That his players were able to dig deep and overcome the self-inflicted problems was the key part of the narrative.

From collapsing all too often last season, Chelsea are re-emerging stronger under the Italian. Far from feeling immortal, they do have an element of their strength back.

"[We came back in the game] by playing the same, really. It was a bit unfair; twice they scored two goals because of our mistakes, but I think we played quite well to be honest," two-goal hero Cesc Fabregas told the Sky Sports cameras at the final whistle.

"We were feeling comfortable, but we know they are a dangerous team on the counter and this is what they did and we paid for it. After that, we showed great character as I think we have been showing in the whole season."

It's that last part of Fabregas' comment that stresses the point. As much as the defensive mistakes have been a big part of Chelsea's season to date—against Liverpool, Dejan Lovren was one of an unmarked three-man queue who could have scored the game's opening goal—so too has been their ability to bounce back.

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On the opening weekend against West Ham United, Chelsea overcame the disappointment of a surprise equaliser late on to win at the death. They came from behind to defeat Watford five days later, and just over a week ago, they had to battle to rescue a point away to Swansea City.

As much as those games aren't convincing us of Chelsea's title credentials, they are instilling a belief in the methods Conte is applying. The tactical discipline will return with more work on the training ground; it's getting into the heads of players that is the tricky part.

That's where Jose Mourinho ultimately failed last season. When the proverbial hit the fan, there was no number of tactical drills and training-ground routines that were going to get Chelsea back on track. The Portuguese had to get into the minds of his players to massage their footballing souls. He didn't, and the rest is now a tragic part of the club's history.

Already Conte is clearly having an impact. The Leicester game wasn't in isolation—it's become the story of Chelsea's campaign. As erratic as they appear, there is a sense that through their capacity to deal with the setbacks—self-inflicted or not—the Blues are still in matches until the death.

It started with Gary Cahill's header on the stroke of half-time before Cesar Azpilicueta's delicious volley to draw level on 49 minutes. Fabregas completed the comeback with his extra-time double.

Mix that character with the undoubted quality of individuals such as Eden Hazard, Diego Costa and Fabregas, and suddenly Conte has something he can build from. It's how quick he can start cementing the other principles, such as the ability to stop shooting themselves in the foot, that will determine how successful Chelsea's season is going to be.

On this evidence, they can bank on something much more than last year at least. Sure, the naysayers will suggest that's not exactly hard, but for Chelsea, targeting the top four just isn't enough. They have to break back into it as another season outside of the elite riches of the Champions League is not going to help their cause moving forward.

That factor alone means the pressure on Conte and his players is perhaps more heightened than it should be for a mid-table side. Right now, they are showing they can handle it; we're seeing the improvements that will take Chelsea forward.

It's all Jekyll and Hyde right now, but that will change. When it does, Conte's side are already showing they will be something like we expect.

Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes