Victor Moses restores order to Chelsea’s 3-4-3 against Bournemouth

Chelsea’s 3-4-3 formation flourished with Victor Moses back in the lineup against Bournemouth. His superiority over Pedro as right wing-back was evident in every aspect of the game.

Victor Moses added another page to his shadow candidacy for PFA Player of the Year on Saturday at Bournemouth. After missing Chelsea’s previous two games through injury, he put in a complete performance against the Cherries in every sense of the word.

Chelsea’s right flank collapsed in Moses’ absence against Crystal Palace and Manchester City. City, in particular, attacked Chelsea’s right side. City easily split Chelsea’s lines to get in behind Pedro, and set up one-on-one or overload opportunities against Cesar Azpilicueta. Chelsea’s entire formation had to reshape itself to compensate for the lack of positional solidity and defensive rigour that Pedro creates.

"Victor Moses and Pedro are polar opposite players. Pedro has no calmness to his player, whereas Victor Moses is so calm on the ball. He’s very rigid in his positioning, and he chooses his moments to attack well. He couples that with being composed in defence. – Daniel Mcclue, The Blue Lions"

Chelsea’s pass-maps over the last three games provide a snapshot of what Chelsea look like with Moses on the flank compared to Pedro. Against Crystal Palace, Chelsea played a 3-4-3 in name only. The play concentrated high on the right, with Pedro and Cesc Fabregas playing between their own lines. With Eden Hazard playing into the centre, Chelsea had little balance across either axis of the pitch.

Against Manchester City, Chelsea had more of the shape but none of the fluidity we have come to expect. Part of this came from tactically conceding possession. Much of it, though, stemmed from the uncertainty on Chelsea’s right.

Cesar Azpilicueta played half the game at right wing-back and half at right centre-back. His aggregate position was square with N’Golo Kante. Pedro split his game between winger and wing-back. Yet his aggregate position was further forward than Diego Costa.

Victor Moses brought Chelsea back to their disciplined, fluid ways. Chelsea’s lines and ball movement were coherent front-to-back and symmetrical left-to-right. Moses played closer to Pedro than Cesar Azpilicueta, but he stayed square with his left-side counterpart, Marco Alonso. Just as importantly, he balanced Chelsea’s ball movement along the right side and inside to N’Golo Kante.

"The only thing Pedro offers as wingback is that he’s really quick and he will go anywhere on the field. He’s just not there defensively. – Travis Tyler"

Pedro’s performances at right-wing can be electrifying just as often as they are baffling (or infuriating). The uncertainty he generates with his darting runs and ever-shifting movement is useful, if not always valuable, for a winger. However, those characteristics are anathema to a wing-back.

Victor Moses successfully adapted his game to become a top wing-back. Pedro would need to radically alter his game to develop those skills. That could come at the expense of what makes him a strong winger. That is not a trade-off worth taking, nor should it be necessary given Chelsea’s other options to stand in for Moses.

Next: Transfer news: Real Madrid target N'Golo Kante, Diego Costa unhappy

Antonio Conte’s dalliance with Pedro at wing-back has been one of his few unsuccessful moves this season. Building depth at the position – either through player development or the transfer market – must be an off-season priority. The Blues cannot afford to have next season’s Premier League and Champions League contingent on Victor Moses’ fitness and fortune.