After leading Italy through a very respectable Euro 2016 campaign, that featured some tactical masterclasses to overcome the likes of Spain and take Germany all the way to penalties, Antonio Conte will be looking to have a strong impact upon a Chelsea side that were poor last season.
The lack of European football next term may well have affected his planned transfer activity, with Michy Batshuayi and N’Golo Kante the two names brought in so far, but Conte’s impact at Stamford Bridge will be far more significant than just splashing the cash on new faces.
In fact, Chelsea’s overhaul could see an entirely different formation adopted, with Conte favouring a 3-man defence, but until he has the plays in his squad capable of doing that, a 4-2-4 will certainly suffice.
Thibaut Courtois will certainly take his place within the sticks, having shown himself to be one of the best goalkeepers in the world, and a new central-defensive partnership ahead of him is likely to see the exciting young talents of Kurt Zouma balanced with the experienced head of Gary Cahill.
On the flanks, Cesar Azpilicueta will switch to his favoured right-side of defence, rather than the left-side he’s adopted at Chelsea for numerous years, and that shift will allow Baba Rahman his chance to sign after arriving from the Bundesliga 12 months ago.
Midfield pairing Cesc Fabregas and new signing N’Golo Kante will have a big task in this set-up but the duo should complement each other, with Kante’s hard-working and defensive attributes allowing Fabregas to provide a better impact further forward- like we saw in his first campaign with the Blues, where he was a key-part of Jose Mourinho’s Premier League winning side.
Supporting the attack from the wings, in a formation that’s a more attacking take on the standard 4-4-2, club Player of the Year Willian will be looking to build upon his fantastic last season. On the opposite side, Eden Hazard will aim to have a better campaign than he did under Jose Mourinho and Guus Hiddink.
Finally, the attack will see fan-favourite Diego Costa partnered with an exciting, and expensive, addition in the form of Michy Batshuayi. The Belgian international scored 26 goals in 62 Ligue 1 appearances for Marseille overall, so has the attributes to excel in English football.
As mentioned, the line-up could shift depending on what incoming deals Conte manages to pull off between now and the end of August and there’s still many players in the squad that could force their way in- including Pedro Rodriguez, John Terry, Nemanja Matic and Oscar.
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The post Chelsea 2016/17 Tactics: Conte’s Tactical Masterclass appeared first on Top Eleven's Football Blog.
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