Antonio Conte’s deployment of Ruben Loftus-Cheek as a striker appeared to be destined for failure, but the Chelsea midfielder’s display against Bristol Rovers suggests otherwise.
Chelsea continued their development under Antonio Conte’s watch on Tuesday evening. The Blues defeated Bristol Rovers 3-2 as they opened their EFL Cup campaign in positive fashion. While the performance once again did little to quell deep-rooted fears, Ruben Loftus-Cheek provided a bright spot.
The Englishman has had a rough couple of years as he graduated from the academy into the first team. He has been considered as a superior prospect, a sentiment proven by the lack of loan spells on his resume. However, he has spent the bulk of his time at Stamford Bridge rotting away on the sidelines.
Fortunately, at the age of 20 little is lost and Conte has an idea to reinvent Loftus-Cheek. The Italian boss played him as a second striker throughout Chelsea’s pre-season fixtures. The experiment initially seemed unsuccessful with the midfielder finding it difficult to adapt to the role.
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In fact, fans were passive-aggressively imploring Conte to drop the youngster back into his natural position.
The new manager ignored those calls on Tuesday evening, once again deploying Ruben Loftus-Cheek up front. Having seen Chelsea thrive in the 4-4-2, Conte decided to go with that set-up from the start with the Englishman alongside Michy Batshuayi in the attacking third.
Smiles quickly replaced sighs as Loftus-Cheek sparkled. Those who criticised Conte openly admitted that he probably saw something within him. Loftus-Cheek began to prove that against Rovers.
The youngster linked up well with Batshuayi. While Loftus-Cheek looked lost in pre-season, the time he undoubtedly spent on the training ground showed in his positional awareness. Knowing that he is not as good a finisher as Batshuayi, Loftus-Cheek took a deeper role, feeding his partner passes and knock-ons.
The material highlight of his game came in the 41st minute. The Englishman turned his defender on the edge of the box with grace and ease. He then looked up and cut the ball back directly into Batshuayi’s path, who converted it to put Chelsea 3-1 up.
Overall, the Blues’ performance was disappointing. Their defensive frailties were on display once more, with a team plying their trade two divisions below good enough to exploit them. Loftus-Cheek, though, proved his worth.
Conte, speaking after the contest, stated why he feels the youngster can be a success in the position.
"He has the right characteristics to play in this position. Ruben is young with great potential. I like him a lot in the position of striker. – via Evening Standard"
Of course, Bristol Rovers are not of the quality Chelsea usually play against. However, the signs are encouraging for Loftus-Cheek moving forward. With the Blues looking thin on depth up front, there may be many opportunities for him to hone his craft. Here’s to hoping that Conte has discovered an unhidden gem.
Now, about that defender…