Tips For Conte: How Chelsea Can Cope Without The Injured Duo Of Kante And Morata

How Chelsea Can Cope With The Absence Of Kante And Morata

October isn’t looking too good for defending Premier League champions, Chelsea. They have to do without the services of star men Alvaro Morata and N’golo Kante owing to injuries, and this could prove to be quite tough in a month filled with Champions League and Premier League commitments. They face Crystal Palace today, and this game shouldn’t be a problem considering bottom-placed Palace’s form.

With the 24-year-old forward out, Antonio Conte will have to seek alternatives. The most obvious choice would be to replace Morata with Michy Batshuayi. The player netted the winning goal during their Champions League match against Atletico Madrid but Conte does not seem like he has too much faith in the striker.

The manager chose Willian to replace Morata when he came off injured – a decision that was met with furious criticism from Chelsea fans. However, against Palace, Batshuayi should get the nod. He proved last season that he can score goals when given a run in the team.

Alternatively, Conte could also deploy Eden Hazard to lead the line. Following Willian’s introduction in place of Morata, the Belgian could be a good choice. Moreover, Pedro is also capable of playing through the middle. It might sound unusual but it still is a good option to consider as even Chelsea’s youth team could beat Crystal Palace at this point.

However, Conte is most likely to give a chance to Batshuayi. The player has been solid over the last few months, and this could be a good opportunity for him to prove himself.

As far as the midfield area is concerned, N’Golo Kante picked up a hamstring problem while on international duty with France that will likely see him miss all six of Chelsea’s games in October.

With Kante out, the midfield pretty much picks itself but Conte may decide to save some of his star men for Wednesday’s massive Champions League match against AS Roma. Having said that, Cesc Fabregas can come into the midfield. Fabregas certainly cannot be a like-for-like replacement, but the loss of solidity and tenacity from that switch is extremely unlikely to be punished by the Eagles.

Against Roma, Conte may dabble with putting David Luiz back in midfield as he did so well against Tottenham. Ordinarily, this could’ve been a strong chance for summer signing Danny Drinkwater to make a mark, but the player is yet to return from a calf injury. Thus, Conte will have to do with Fabregas for this game, and will hope the former Leicester City player returns to fitness soon.