Chelsea are not the club to dwell with an underperforming manager for too long. The club do not think twice about changing the manager, if Roman Abramovich receives the slightest hint that the manager’s tactics is no longer working. Hence, it was not a huge surprise to see Antonio Conte linked with an exit – just a few months after leading Chelsea Football Club to a Premier League title. It would be wrong to dismiss last season’s success as any other in our history, as it is perhaps as significant as the first Premier League title under Jose Mourinho.
Conte provided an identity to the team and it was no sooner that almost the entire division started going with three-at-the-back formations. Yet, the blues made an indifferent start – just like last season – and it once again raised questions about Conte. Over the last few weeks, however, the Italian has shown the reason why he is from a land of tactical geniuses.
After having initially began with a traditional 4-2-3-1 formation, Conte was soon forced to get things done in his style after the heavy loss against Arsenal last season. Chelsea made the switch to a 3-4-3 system and a run of more than 10 consecutive victories laid the foundation for the title. It also got the rest of the Premier League into deep thoughts, as Chelsea’s system was better in almost every regard. Just as every other good idea is replicated in various quarters, most of the teams in the division have switched to the system for the 2017-18 campaign.
Surprisingly, the blues were not made as favourites for the league title even by those who claim 888 free bet. The odds of Chelsea win on the betting sites are low. This was due to a horrendous summer where the blues although most of the experienced names without actually replacing them with alternatives. The presence of Champions League football in the 2017-18 season made this situation even worse. There was a sense of injustice to Conte after the brilliant campaign; it is easy to envisage any other manager like Jose Mourinho coming up with moans in one press conference after the other. When you want to bet online, 888sport has one of the best bets available online. You can check the 888sport brand review and see for yourself. New bookies can claim Treble Odds bonus when they join.
Yet, Conte merely carried on with his job even when the conditions are far from satisfactory.
The switch from the 3-4-3 formation to the 3-5-2 formation may not sound like a huge difference, but it has made us solid once again. Going forward, Alvaro Morata has started combining well with Eden Hazard and more can be expected from the duo in the coming weeks. The system with two wingers supporting a central striker did not seem to work in recent weeks, as Morata was on his own too often. He lacked the aggression and physicality of Diego Costa to be able to do this role. Conte quickly paired him up along with Hazard and it has brought out the best of both players.
In the last three league matches, Morata has contributed two goals and two assists. Hazard has come up with three goals and has had a string of ‘man of the match’ performances. Even then, Chelsea is not at a lengthy 20/1 for the title. City continues to remain favourites at 1/8.
The manager’s recent fallout with David Luiz has been criticised – especially at a time when we are short of experienced names in the squad. Yet, the way he has integrated Andreas Christensen as a first-team regular is quite impressive. The Dane has gone from being another one of the ‘loan stars’ into a vital part of the Chelsea set up.
The Premier League is one hard place to shine, but the blues are clearly on a right path under Conte. While external factors like an attraction to the Italian national team cannot be ruled out, it is imperative that the board does not make any rash decisions with regard to Conte. He is one of the finest managers of recent generations and it would be unwise to lose him over one bad season.
Conte has shown that he is adaptable and extremely flexible on several facets. Chelsea can pick up one or two things from the charismatic Italian.
