Antonio Conte inspiring 3-4-3 copycats across the Premier League

All the pre-season chatter was about Pep Guardiola bringing a tactical revolution to the Premier League. Eleven games in, more clubs are imitating Antonio Conte’s 3-4-3 at Chelsea.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, the old saying goes. Everton manager Ronald Koeman showed that the adage falls short. Koeman attempted to imitate Chelsea’s 3-4-3 as a way of blunting the Blues’ recent run. By the time he saw the error of his ways, it was all over for his side at Stamford Bridge.

In light of the final score Koeman set a new standard for grace in defeat. After acknowledging his inability to combat fire with fire with a first-half substitution, he tipped his hat to Antonio Conte’s success in the post-match press conference.

"The way (Manchester) City played against us was fantastic, but I’ve never seen a team so strong playing this system. This system is very difficult to play against, and the movement of Hazard, Pedro and Costa, is difficult. – Daily Mail"

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino was the next to jump on the 3-4-3 bandwagon. He nearly achieved through surprise what the Hotspurs could not achieve through tactics and execution against Arsenal. Arsenal’s Theo Walcott said after the game that Tottenham’s three-man back-line caught him completely off-guard.

Walcott added, “[Y]ou now see a lot of teams doing that. Chelsea are probably the best at doing it right now.

As much as looking for an edge in the north London derby, Pochettino may have had his eye further down the calendar when he devised his formation. Tottenham visit Stamford Bridge on 26 November. Beyond the usual tension of the rivalry, this fixture will surely have title implications despite being only November. It will also be the first meeting between the two sides since Chelsea ended Tottenham’s title hopes in May.

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Chelsea have a target on their backs after the victories over Manchester United and Everton. For opposing managers around the Premier League it is not just a matter of defeating Chelsea, but figuring out how to do so against Conte’s 3-4-3. Tottenham cracked the code against Manchester City. Pochettino may agree with Koeman that the 3-4-3 is the best way to counter that same formation.

Antonio Conte’s recent success derives in large part from a highly-disciplined formation that allows the players maximum flexibility. Chelsea’s pass and positioning map looks like a theoretical case study from a coaching textbook.

What the map does not show is how the formation creates open spaces for Chelsea plays to exploit at will. Eden Hazard scored his second goal from the right side. Victor Moses made his best run of the game straight down the centre of the pitch. Marcos Alonso and Eden Hazard were both frequently well forward of Diego Costa.

Movement spawned from discipline is the essence of Antonio Conte. During Euro 2016 he described his formation as a “chameleon,” a term that defined Italy’s run at the tournament. Five games into the 3-4-3, Chelsea are showing signs of achieving that level of expertise.

Chelsea progressed in their execution of the formation’s structure and function week to week. They were perhaps a bit fortunate to debut the lineup against Hull City, followed by the out-of-form Leicester City.

Everton’s destruction highlights the pitfalls of adopting the 3-4-3 structure without fully understanding its function. Ronald Koeman learned the hard way that the 3-4-3 cannot be easily injected into a club’s repertoire alongside other more traditional formations.

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Other imitators around the Premier League will quickly find out that arranging your squad in a 3-4-3 is easy. Instilling a 3-4-3 mentality in your squad is something entirely different, and perhaps for the Premier League, uniquely Antonio Conte.