Juventus and Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon says Chelsea manager Antonio Conte 'doesn't do second'.
Buffon won three straight Serie A titles under Conte before the manager left Juve to take charge of the Italian national side in 2014.
Conte then led The Azzurri to the quarter-finals of Euro 2016 before stepping aside to take the reins at Stamford Bridge.
Italy's exit from the European Championships marked the start of Conte's time with Chelsea and he has since steered the Blues to the top of the Premier League.
Successive top flight defeats in September had left Chelsea seven points off the title pace, but a tactical shift prompted a change in fortunes.
Conte's side have subsequently won eight Premier League matches on the spin and opened up a three-point lead at the top of the table.
"It doesn't surprise me at all that Chelsea are top of the Premier League. He [Conte] is a winner, he doesn't do second place," Buffon told Fox Sports.
In Pictures | Manchester City vs Chelsea | 03/12/2016
"I am sure behind the scenes he has privately been getting players into line.
"They have a great chance in the league. Not only do they have one of the best coaches in Europe - but not competing in Europe they have a week between games which is going to help them a lot as the season goes on."
