Chelsea have now finished their pre-season, beating Werder Bremen 4-2 in their final game. The Blues will now travel back to England in preparation for their Premier League opener against West Ham United at Stamford Bridge.
Overall, the Blues have had good pre-season, winning four of their six games, and the positives mostly outweigh the negatives. Antonio Conte was tasked with restoring the belief of the players, making them committed once again, and he has done a pretty good job so far in doing that.
This is part two of things we’ve learned from our pre-season. Part one is here.
Conte has repaired the shattered confidence of many players, but the project still needs polishing
I mentioned in my introduction that one of the main challenges for Antonio Conte when he took over was to re-instill the confidence and the commitment that flowed through the squad during our title-winning campaign in 2014/15.
To say it has been a failure in pre-season would be a bit of a disservice. In fact, Conte has already improved the players’ attitude. The players do look genuinely interested. There has been a marginal improvement on the disdain Chelsea showed on plenty of occasions last season. If you want evidence, just look how high Chelsea pressed and the intensity which they played at against AC Milan in the second half the other night, or against Werder Bremen—that wouldn’t have happened last season.
Oscar, who was utilized at No.10 under Guus Hiddink and José Mourinho, has enjoyed much more success in a more deeper central midfield role. Eden Hazard’s fizz completely went flat and endured an extraordinary downfall in 15/16, but looks to be back to his best under Antonio Conte. Nathaniel Chalobah, Ola Aina and Bertrand Traoré have all sparkled. Players like Willian, Victor Moses, Diego Costa, N’Golo Kanté and Michy Batshuayi are also players that have impressed.
There’s still plenty of room for improvement—just because a player looks dedicated doesn’t necessarily mean that they’ll instantly become that guitarist who formulates melodies for fun. There are players still struggling to regain their gusto, like Cesc Fábregas, Pedro, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Nemanja Matić.
The project still needs polishing. We haven’t had a convincing game in pre-season, where the Blues have dominated throughout. Defensively—despite a manager renowned for his defensive organisation at the helm—Chelsea’s back four is still a shambles, to put it nicely. We are still yet to find the perfect balance in midfield.
Importantly, Conte’s arrival has been greeted with the acknowledgment by technical director Michael Emenalo, players like Asmir Begović and Branislav Ivanović that patience will be of the essence during the Italian’s first season—although Conte himself believes Chelsea will contend for the title in his first year in England.
When Cesc Fábregas regains his zest, and starts fulfilling the creative side of his game once again, Chelsea will be immediately better in an attacking sense.
It’ll take time for everything to tick. Give it three or four months, and hopefully the 47-year-old former Juventus boss will be coaxing the best from this crop of players.
Is 4-2-4 really the way forward?
I’ve written extensively about the 4-2-4 and the 4-4-2 in the last month or so. I’m tired of explaining the basics of how Chelsea play it, I talked about them both in detail many times, so you can go check out the articles from here if you want.
Chelsea have won three games with the system in pre-season, and lost two (we played 4-1-4-1/4-1-2-3ish vs Werder Bremen).
It’s the same system Conte used in his early days at Juventus. He admitted in 2011 that it is in fact a 4-4-2, not a 4-2-4:
“There’s been too much talk on this particular way of playing. In actuality it’s a 4-4-2. I know of course novelty makes sometimes a great topic of discussion. If instead of saying ‘4-2-4′ I had said ‘4-4-2′ from the very beginning, we wouldn’t be discussing this ‘innovation’. Maybe all it is is just a normal idea of play. It is a normal 4-4-2. I think in England most teams that are winning are applying this type of module, which enables you to cover the playing field in the best possible way I think.”
Whilst the experiment hasn’t been a failure, it’s been more a case of it not suiting Chelsea as much as a system like the 4-1-4-1 has when utilized.
The positives do dwarf the negatives. But it lacks the cohesiveness and the structure that a three-man midfield has offered Chelsea when used. Ironically, two of our best attacking displays in pre-season—against Milan in the second half and the Werder Bremen game—have come with a formation other than the one renowned for its attacking prowess.
It’s not only that. Question marks still persist over the aptness of some players for the 4-4-2. Cesc Fábregas cannot play as a defensive patsy. Nemanja Matić can’t pass and can be pulled around if the player has a decent amount of space to work in. People wonder if Eden Hazard has the tactical astuteness to do his job properly when Chelsea don’t have the ball. Oscar is also a man better suited to a three-man midfield, as even the man himself admitted:
“I think we have played better with the 4-3-3 than when we have played 4-2-4, but we have two formations and always we try our best. 4-3-3 is better for me because I can score more goals, and also create more and tackle in midfield which I like to do to help the team.”
“In the last two games I have scored three goals so I am feeling good, we are ready and now we are all just looking forward to starting the season.”
Abramovich needs to open his chequebook, and spend!
Why do Chelsea make it so hard for all of us?
A week before the Premier League season, Chelsea have only added two players to their ranks—N’Golo Kanté and Michy Batshuayi. Granted, they are two very good additions, especially Kanté, but this is a side that just finished 10th, and two signings is not enough.
Here’s a fun fact, or a rather gloom one: Chelsea’s only available centre-backs going into their Premier League opener are John Terry, Gary Cahill, Branislav Ivanovic and Michael Hector.
Just like last summer, the club have failed to replicate the early and efficient transfer business that was done in the off-season of 2014. In their biggest ever campaign of the Roman Abramovich era, the Blues are entering it insufficiently equipped as their shortcomings will be inevitably and ruthlessly exposed once again.
There is still plenty of time for Abramovich to open his chequebook again and spend. Torino defender Nikola Maksimovic looks close to joining Napoli, ensuring that the Italians have their replacement if Kalidou Koulibaily departs for Stamford Bridge. Last night, Gazzetta dello Sport claimed Napoli have turned down £42m bid from Chelsea for defender Koulibaly. It looks like the Mustafi interest is over, even if there was any to begin with.
Brazilian midfielder Thiago Maia could be on his way to West London, with Chelsea scouts closely monitoring the teenager at the Olympics. Last night, Twitter went crazy as pictures emerged of Riyad Mahrez checking into Chelsea Harbour Hotel, coincidentally the same hotel Antonio Conte was in at the very same time. Romelu Lukaku is a name constantly being mentioned, with the Belgian reportedly set to reject a £135,000-a-week contract from Everton to rejoin the former champions of England.
This transfer window is having a very John Stones feel of last summer in it. Chelsea have been chasing Koulibaly for what has felt like an eternity, with Napoli proving very stubborn negotiators, rejecting two or three bids, yet the club still have their eyes firmly fixated on the Frenchman without any real alternatives. There doesn’t look to be any concrete interest in Mustafi either, with the Blues set to give Arsenal a clear run in acquiring the German international. What if neither ends up joining, and once again Chelsea believe the only solution is putting in panic bids for defenders late on, like last summer for Papy Djilobodji, Michael Hector and Marquinhos?
It’s not only at the back we should be immensely worried about, as Conte could also do with another two or three good, bordering great players in other positions. Believe it or not, Conte isn’t the best thing since Jesus, nor is he a miracle worker—he needs reinforcements, more than just the average crop of players he has at his disposal.
If no more players are added, the Blues will pay the price for doing their business too late, or simply an insufficient amount of it. Abramovich needs to open that chequebook and spend, spend, spend, before it’s too late.
