Antonio Conte: A Tactical Disasterclass

Leaving the Etihad Stadium yesterday made me question what exactly was the point of the team travelling up. It was a gloomy Manchester afternoon, with rain pouring down, the perfect setting for the display which had just taken place. A lack of desire, ambition and direction from the man once loved by Chelsea's fans, only fueled the tension between Antonio Conte and the travelling Blues. It's something which would have been unimaginable last season, but this season, it has unfortunately become all too familiar to see Conte’s mind-boggling tactics on display.

To provide a bit of context; the start of 2018 has been a disaster for Chelsea. The team finished January sitting in 3rd after a convincing 4-0 win versus Brighton, closing the gap on United in 2nd. All that Conte’s team needed to do was to ensure victories over Bournemouth and Watford, in order to tighten the grip on the top four finish. It was only six points, but as it always is with the Blues, nothing is straightforward, starting with Bournemouth; a decent team that can perform in the big games. We lacked the quality in the first half and with Chelsea missing a bunch of chances, they surely favoured themselves and subsequently took their chances against a team without a clear striker, which would become the start of the problems over the next few games. Bournemouth won 3-0, but it would only be a mere episode in what would be a disastrous run of form for the defending champions.

Although that was in between Chelsea signing Olivier Giroud and Alvaro Morata picking up an injury, it all but showed the fans that the team cannot function with Hazard in the false nine position. Fast forward six days to Watford, a perfect time to put the result behind them. The line-up was announced at 7pm, and to the fans' chagrin, no striker. The outcome of the match went as expected; Watford 4-1 Chelsea. An embarrassing result, surely would trigger Conte into utilising two strikers and use Hazard in his correct place, only time would tell. The next two games saw two wins playing West Brom and Hull, both games involving actual strikers.

Leading up to the Manchester City game, Chelsea had been in Manchester a week earlier only to lose 2-1 with a spineless performance in the second half. Nonetheless, the team played well in the first half, with Morata as the target man. He hit the crossbar earlier on and showed that, with an outlet who can threaten on goal, it's the right formation for Conte to move forward with.