The Mind of Conte: 4 Things We Learned From Chelsea’s Win vs Leicester

It’s the fourth match of the season and Chelsea are in the top 3 now!

Thanks to their 2-1 away win against the Foxes last weekend, not to forget Kante’s winning goal which found the back of the net finely near to the goal post.

That goal was again far from outside the box when the opposition’s men were all busy either in covering the key forwards in the box or in blocking any potential pass.

That was not the only highlight of the game though. As Conte has moved another step closer to bringing more stability and balance in his squad by securing another away win, here are the four things we got to learn from the match.

 

Defenders will always be there to attack

Conte’s 3-4-3, or 3-4-2-1 setup has already been realizing multiple advantages over opposition in terms of both attack and defense.

In the last match too, the Back 3 were effective enough to outnumber the two attackers of opposition playing in a 4-4-2 formation.

The fluid role of wingers also give the last-row defenders space to make attacking runs when other players are marked or zoned off behind defenders.

Just like in the last match, Azpilicueta made himself available at the right lane to dribble up and make a long accurate pass to Morata who eventually headed the goal.

As long as Chelsea is struggling to develop a consistent attacking partnership, this will be covered by center backs being there to look for chances.

 

Bakayoko needs to work more on sustaining possession

Bakayoko is aggressively dominant in one-on-one situations and has made good number of take ons.

He, along with Rudiger, has also been a saviour when it comes to head-clearing long, wide passes and shots. However, he often can’t keep the possession too long and tends to lose it while dribbling or tackling eventually.

Conte needs to work on improving the Frenchman’s ball-handling and consistency if his one-on-one encounter is to be relied on.

 

Bakayoko-Kante Defensive Partnership

Bakayoko being placed with Kante in the center mid was a good decision given the compatibility of the two as Bakayoko actively intercepted and dribbled forward in between defenders, while Kante covered not only for him but all over the pitch as he always does.

 

Fabregas-Morata Attacking Partnership

Fabregas being placed upfront was another good decision.

This way Chelsea had their playmakers placed in each of the three rows – Luiz at the back, Kante at the mid, and Fabregas at the front.

Fabregas made amazing through passes without having to struggle much defensively. Morata is now not only getting into passing lanes but also joining the attacking midfielders to look for players in or near passing lanes in order to create chances.

Fabregas and Morata can be a consistent partnership and that is something which can really upset defenders. With Hazard soon to join them too, we can hope for more room to upgrade the Blues’ attack.

 

Written by Farkhanda Jabeen

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