Antonio Conte preserved Chelsea win with late defensive tactics
By Siva Sankar
Chelsea ground out a 1-0 victory against West Brom in a game where they failed to create anything of note. Antonio Conte’s defensive shifts ensured the Blues only needed the one goal.
West Bromwich Albion executed their tactics perfectly. Tony Pulis’ side were perhaps the closest a team has come to nicking a point from Chelsea in recent weeks. Recognizing the threat WBA posed, Antonio Conte was never willing to throw caution to the wind to get all three points.
Chelsea failed to penetrate the packed West Brom defense. The Baggies limited Chelsea to shooting from distance or David Luiz freekicks. West Brom fouled, delayed and used every trick in the book to deny Chelsea any attacking rhythm. They tapped Salomon Rondon’s speed and strength to cause problems at the other end.
The key to breaking a defense like West Brom is either to hit them in transition, find a moment of magic or capitalize on an error. Piling bodies into the box and hoping for a goal does little more than expose your defence to a counter-attack. Conte kept the Matic-Kante partnership intact. This ensured his team could handle West Brom’s counter attacking threat.
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As the minutes wore on, Chelsea looked increasingly unlikely to find that moment of magic. The predictable move would have been to bring on Cesc Fabregas at the half. He has the best chance of creating the pass that could open up the game. Antonio Conte waited until the 75th minute to introduce his playmaker.
Two minutes after Fabregas’ introduction, Chelsea found that goal through a stroke of good fortune. Within a few minutes of that goal, Conte shifted emphasis immediately to consolidating and seeing out a 1-0 victory. Branislav Ivanovic came on to add height to the backline as West Brom committed numbers forward to pressure Chelsea.
West Brom’s offensive corners have been their main source of goals this season. Bringing on Ivanovic to add height to the backline proved to be a very prudent decision. Also, the opportunity to knick a second goal on the counter to seal the victory was ever present, as West Brom were not very good at keeping the ball for sustained periods.
Fortuitous as Diego Costa’s goal was, hunting for a second would only have opened space behind Chelsea’s backline. West Brom had every intention of seeking an equalizer as they brought on their best attacking options to replace their defensive wingers. As Chelsea demonstrated so neatly vs City, a single counter-attack can undo all your hardwork if you lose shape in a frenzy to attack.
Had West Brom scored, Chelsea would have been hard-pressed to squeeze even a point out of the game. West Brom’s defensive display had stymied every other Chelsea thrust.
The key to winning titles is to know how to manage games. Conte has plenty of experience doing just that. He played his cards right throughout, and particularly once Chelsea had the lead.
Antonio Conte moved the team to a 4-2-4 formation early in the second half. When Fabregas came on for Victor Moses the Blues shifted to a 4-2-3-1. By keeping these conservative formations, Conte ensured Chelsea were never overextended. The Blues were never in danger of conceding.
The risk of getting hit on the counter attack far outweighed the risk of conceding the ball to West Brom and asking them to penetrate a 10-man wall. Given that Chelsea found it near impossible to do so, the task would have been significantly harder fro West Brom.
The Premier League season is long and hard. To win the title clubs need a pragmatic approach to managing games. In the upcoming holiday schedule Antonio Conte must preserve the players’ energy and not overextend them.
Chelsea teams of past have relied on their ability to win 1-0 to win titles. A run of 1-0 wins kept Leicester on the path to the title while their rivals floundered. That Chelsea are able to win, no matter what the method, proves their title credentials.