Antonio Conte might have played the 3-5-2 formation in Juventus and Italy, but at his new club Chelsea, the 46 year-old will be playing the 4-2-4 system if reports from the English media are to be believed.
Conte has become famous for being one of the few managers to use the 3-5-2 formation in modern football. He managed to exceed expectations with an under-par Italian side by using the 3-5-2 system, with the Azzurris triumphing over heavyweights like world no.2 Belgium and defending champions Spain at the 2016 European Championships.
When he took charge of Chelsea earlier this month, it was thought that the Italian will strictly pursue the 3-5-2 formation at the West London club. However, that was not the case in Conte’s first game as a Chelsea manager, which the Blues lost 2-0 at the hands of Rapid Wien.
English newspaper The Sun has revealed discarded tactical diagrams that clearly show that Conte is plotting to use the 4-2-4 formation with the Blues this season.
Antonio Conte’s tactics against Rapid Vienna got leaked to The Sun.. Moles in the Chelsea camp ?? pic.twitter.com/ngDdXg7Jtm
— Hamza™️ (@ffsHamza) July 18, 2016
According to this diagram, Chelsea are all set to play four defenders, with Branislav Ivanovic, John Terry, Papy Djilobodji, and Baba Rahman manning the back. While two midfielders operated from the middle of the park, Conte chose to play Diego Costa along with Ruben Loftus-Cheek up front. Meanwhile, wingers Willian and Moses operated in advanced positions, forming an attacking quartet.
The Italian has also chalked out exactly how Chelsea will attack when they get a corner. According to this diagram, the Italian wants his big defenders Terry and Ivanovic to attack the near post, while the likes of Djilobodji and Matic or Mikel will attack the far post. Meanwhile, it seems that Costa will stay in the middle and be a nuisance for the opposing goalkeeper.
Looks like Conte wants his big and strong defenders to attack the near post on corners. pic.twitter.com/E1pYsdXBal
— Rakesh Sengupta (@Rakesh_Sengupta) July 18, 2016
Similarity to Italy’s 3-5-2
The Chelsea boss may not be playing the fabled 3-5-2 formation anymore, but there is a stark similarity to the way Italy played in the earlier part of the 2016 European Championships. In their first two matches, Conte fielded what seemed like the 3-5-2 system. However, the formation was much more flexible with the players that he chose to name in his starting XI against Belgium and Sweden.
The Italians often shifted to the 4-2-4 formation from the 3-5-2 system during the match, with Andrea Barzagli moving out to the right fullback position, while Georgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci operated as centre-backs and Matteo Darmian played at left back. While the duo of Daniele De Rossi and Marco Parolo manned the midfield, Emanuele Giaccherini shifted from the midfield to an advanced left wing position. Forwards Graziano Pelle and Eder, and right winger Antonio Candreva, combined with Giaccherini to form the attacking quartet.
Conte is certainly no stranger to the 4-2-4 formation, as he has played it in his early days at Juventus. Chelsea might have lost their opening game 2-0, but it was against a side that was far ahead of them in terms of match fitness, as they have already been playing friendlies for the last five weeks. In fact, they have also played one competitive fixture in this time period. A number of Chelsea players are yet to return from their holidays after the Euro 2016, and it will be interesting to see how Chelsea play in this new system after all the big guns are back.
