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'Chelsea now have Barcelona's Pedro'

Pedro is enjoying something of a purple patch at Chelsea, and Antonio Conte believes he is now showing the form that made him so sought-after at Barcelona.

Chelsea secured Pedro's signature in August 2015 for a fee of £17 million, but he flattered to deceive at Stamford Bridge, as the Blues finished 10th in a nightmare season.

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This season, however, has seen something of a renaissance from Pedro, scoring five goals and laying on six assists in 18 games as Chelsea have stormed to the top of the Premier League, and Conte has lavished praise upon the Spaniard.

"I think that all of us can see his performances and he is playing in a fantastic way," Conte said at a press conference at Cobham Training Centre. "He is playing really good football, with the ball, without the ball.

"He is always in the right position to press and win the ball, but also to score. I think we are seeing the best moment of Pedro, I think that this Pedro played this type of football when he was in Barcelona.

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"I hope that he continues in this way and continues to improve. He is a really important player for us. In the same was as Eden and Willy."

Marcos Alonso is another player who has impressed Conte, after his brace last week against Leicester City, and he has been a regular since Chelsea switched to a 3-4-3 formation. 

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"Alonso is another player who is doing very well but I think the reason we are top of the table is because all our players are performing very well," he added. "We are a team and in a team every single player is exalting his talent.

"It is important to continue this way to stay at the top of the table."

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