How Antonio Conte is rebuilding Chelsea around 3-4-3 formation
Chelsea's 3-4-3 formation from the match against Hull City showed that the old Chelsea dog still has some life. How has Antonio Conte implemented a new system so quickly to achieve early success?
The 3-4-3 worked so effectively for Chelsea because it puts the onus on keeping the ball further up the field. Chelsea's adept midfielders and forwards maintained the Blues' possession. Consequently, the back-line liabilities had fewer opportunities to give away costly errors.
As we all know, Chelsea's major issue this season has been the defense. Despite signing David Luiz and Marcos Alonso, Chelsea will once again dip into the rather expensive transfer market again as soon as possible to find reinforcements.
The 3-4-3 is similar to the 3-5-2 formation. Both rely on a solid base of defenders with wing-backs providing the width further up the field. The difference, however, is that the 3-4-3 wing-backs can play more conservatively than they would in a 3-5-2.
The extra caution is in Chelsea's best interest this season. The Blues do not yet have the talent to fully utilize the 3-5-2. Marcos Alonso is a traditional wing-back and has all the attacking skills to compliment his defensive acumen. Cesar Azpilicueta, though, is more limited.
Let's get this straight: Cesar Azpilicueta is a magnificent footballer and should be the next team captain. I have likened him to Javier Zanetti on many occasions. That said, his attacking contributions are more limited and thus the right side requires a attacking winger to offset some of the offensive pressure.
Antonio Conte is compensating for this attacking limitation by playing Victor Moses as a wing-back and moving Azpilicueta to right center-back.
Let's all just take a second to appreciate the fine soldier Victor Moses has been for years and continues to be. A winger by trade and a viable Premier League starter this whole time, Chelsea loaned him out twice. Now, finally in the fold with Antonio Conte, he has been asked to play a totally different role than he ever has in his career. He has delivered with aplomb.
The Azpilicueta-Moses maneuver is working out for Chelsea, or at least it did against Hull. The players themselves deserve much of the credit for this success. Both Victor Moses and Cesar Azpilicueta are hard-working and adaptable players.
Azpilicueta even went a step further to show his Zanetti-ness by slotting in as an effective center-back. He should not need to do the job, but thank you Michael Emenalo. Two seasons of not addressing Chelsea's greatest liability have Azpilicueta playing his third position in the back-line.
The major difference between the 3-5-2 and the 3-4-3 is the composition and deployment of the front line. The 3-5-2 has two central strikers. The traditional roles are a rather larger target man and spearhead alongside a poacher and trequartista .
The 3-4-3 has one central striker and two attacking wingers. Antonio Conte has so far still not decided to show any faith in Michy Batshuayi. This leaves Chelsea with only Diego Costa to play in the striker role. This formation also gets the most out of Eden Hazard who, in recent weeks, reverted to his 2015 non-defending “passenger” self when without the ball.
is the right man for the job.
Conte is a workhorse who is both resilient and incredibly resourceful. Jose Mourinho simply stuck to the now-outdated 4-2-3-1 and simply watched the team sink (whether he already had eyes on Manchester is a conversation for another day). Antonio Conte and his “never say die” attitude, on the other hand, have at least found a way to remain competitive.
The last notable team that played a 3-4-3 with high levels of success was Pep Guardiola's Barcelona. He did it for much the same reasons. Barcelona were beset by injuries. Guardiola needed to find a way to maximize his available players while compensating for Juan Laporta's injurious mismanagement (looking at you again, Michael Emenalo).
The result was a team that, even when not functioning at their peak, was still able to grind out results. Eventually, in later seasons, Guardiola transformed them into perhaps the best club side of all time.
Chelsea are still a long, long, long (add many more long's) distance from playing at that level, but they have at least found their footing. Now they must begin the climb back to the mountaintop.