Conte’s men strolled to a 3 nil win over EPL defending champions Leicester City at the Stamford Bridge on Saturday, and the newly-adopted 3-4-3 formation seems to be working perfectly after recording back-to-back emphatic victories with it.
These are the major tactical talking points of how it all went down between the 2 erstwhile league winners.
A 4-man midfield saw Chelsea dominate all game
Deploying Victor Moses and Marcos Alonso as the wingers just like he did against Hull City saw Conte’s strategy once again work to inch-perfection. Chelsea completed 455 passes, compared to Leicester City’s 344, had 54.9% ball possession and registered 16 shots. With Luiz continually being an attacking threat, particularly in the 1st half, it wasn’t long before everything fell apart for the visitors.
Costa gave Chelsea the lead 7 minutes into the game from a corner after he was left unmarked by Morgan. With Chelsea all out on attack afterward, Hazard, despite failing to particularly impress got the 2nd goal of the game after Matic had forced Hernandez and Huth to a defensive mistake.
The 2 goals might have been caused by an error-strewn Leicester defence, but they still inadvertently came about as a result of an attacking system that constantly unsettled the opposition.
Kante’s ghost haunted his old side
N’golo Kante was a standout performer, and Claudio Ranieri would have been left ruing the Frenchman’s departure from the touchline. He could only watch helplessly as Kante’s tirelessness became Leicester’s undoing all day long.
With 5 interceptions and 4 tackles won, the France international was exactly the type of protective cover Chelsea’s 3-man defence needed. Kante’s attacking qualities also came to the fore as he himself was unlucky to have gotten a goal and was instrumental to Victor Moses’ last goal having combined with Chalobah who subsequently provided the winger with a sublime assist.
Matic was far more than impressive
Perhaps the game was Matic’s best in a Chelsea Jersey since their title-winning campaign. Often seen as a liability due to his lack of speed and heavy first touches which combine to impede the team’s attacking fluidity, the Serbian combined his strength and ability to retain possession well.
That effectively neutralized Leicester’s seldom threats in the middle of the park, seeing him come out tops in the midfield battle against Danny Drinkwater. Matic laid 5 passes to Costa and another 9 to Hazard, and he definitely put in an all-round man of the match performance. If he is able to replicate such performances in subsequent games, Chelsea could be on their way to the very top.
All in all, the 3-4-3 formation looks to be the perfect system Chelsea need in order to mount a stiff title challenge this season.
Kante and Matic have shown how protective they could be when assisting the rearguard, and also dictating the tempo of play in midfield. Costa isn’t fluffing his chances and has converted 7 already this term, and with Willian and Hazard on form and in their element any day, wrecking havoc to opposition’s defence is guaranteed.
The duo of Moses and Alonso might have finally gotten their hands on a starting berth after impressive displays on the wings in the last 2 games. They would play key roles in sustaining Chelsea’s new-found formation, and Conte might as well watch on as his charges fire their way up to the very top.