Antonio Conte must drop Chelsea veteran Branislav Ivanovic
As Chelsea prepare to square off with Hull City in a Premier League affair, reports are suggesting that Antonio Conte is considering dropping Branislav Ivanovic.
Despite a promising start to the season, the true Chelsea has resurfaced in recent weeks. Antonio Conte now knows the scale of the task facing him and the extent of the troubles in defence. His first significant decision reportedly involves an overdue benching of Branislav Ivanovic.
The Telegraph claims that the Italian is genuinely thinking about relegating Ivanovic to the dugout for Saturday’s Premier League clash with Hull.
"Antonio Conte has given careful consideration to becoming the first Chelsea manager to drop Branislav Ivanovic for a Premier League game since Andre Villas-Boas for Saturday’s trip to Hull City."
This would be a seismic move, given that the Serbian has not been dropped (as opposed to rested) since Andre Villas-Boas’ ill-fated run as Blues boss. That was some five years ago.
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Ivanovic has been a loyal servant to the club and he has certainly contributed to several successes over the years. However, his time has come. The full-back was exceptionally poor last season and, despite making an encouraging start to this campaign, he has reverted to his terrible form.
Gary Cahill has also been subpar in the last few weeks, but Ivanovic’s disappointing displays have become the norm for him. Hence, it is time that Conte makes the tough decision and asks the veteran to take a back-seat.
The report indicates that he will be benched for the Hull game, which gives way to a discussion regarding the formation Conte will use. After the game had been lost against Arsenal, the manager layed Chelsea out in a three-man defensive set-up. Following the final whistle, he then confirmed that such a system is the future of the club.
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However, not picking Ivanovic would almost certainly result in a four-man backline, at least for the Hull game. John Terry is once again injured and thus Cahill and David Luiz are the only other natural centre-backs available. Unless Conte uses Marcos Alonso as a temporary plug, or dips into the development squad and promotes Fikayo Tomori, his preferred formation is not viable.
Nevertheless, Ivanovic must be dropped if for anything but to send a message. Conte is not a man to tolerate mediocre performances so the bastion of such disappointment cannot be in his starting line-up.
Furthermore, it may even help the player. Ivanovic just looks clueless out there and some time on the sidelines will give him an opportunity to regroup and refocus.
What do you think? Would you rather Conte wait until Terry is fit again? Share your thoughts in the comments below!