Nathan Ake, Michy Batshuayi frozen out of prime opportunity against Manchester United

Any illusions Nathan Ake or Michy Batshuayi still had about playing for Chelsea this year vanished when Ruben Loftus-Cheek was the third substitute. If this was not their moment, nothing will be.

Thibaut Courtois’s absence against Manchester United had an easy solution: start Asmir Begovic for the first time in the Premier League this season. Marcos Alonso’s last-minute withdrawal from Chelsea’s matchday squad could have had an equally simple like-for-like solution: Nathan Ake. Ake has played left wing-back as well as left back while on loan.

Instead, Antonio Conte brought Cesar Azpilicueta to left wing-back, and started Kurt Zouma in Azpilicueta’s normal spot. As Manchester United attacked Chelsea through the flank, he swapped Azpilicueta and Victor Moses. After going down 2-0, Conte sent Cesc Fabregas on for Moses, shifting the formation to a 4-3-3.

Chelsea failed against Manchester United for a variety of reasons. One large reason were players in unfamiliar positions working in unfamiliar combinations against a potent offence. The Azpilicueta – Zouma switch disrupted both sides of Chelsea’s play, and two of Chelsea’s lines.

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David Luiz now had a different keeper behind him and a different partner to his right. Victor Moses had a different centre-back covering behind him. N’Golo Kante was without his usual passing partner. Eden Hazard took service from a different wing-back, and was without his new favourite passing target.

These problems multiplied when Azpilicueta and Moses swapped. Neither side of the pitch had the usual wing-backs, further detaching Chelsea’s defence from the offence while leaving the flanks in disarray.

Starting Nathan Ake would have minimized the disruption, keeping it local to the left flank. His pace would have at least blunted Marcus Rashford. Chelsea would have their normal battery on the right side to face Ashley Young and Jesse Lingard. And David Luiz would have a more familiar passing rhythm to undertake more ball-handling given Asmir Begovic’s limited ball-playing abilities.

Meanwhile, at the top of Chelsea’s formation, Diego Costa plumbed new depths of useless as a striker-in-name-only. For all the complaints among Chelsea fans for Robert Madley’s officiating, somehow Costa escaped with only a yellow card. Costa responded with interest to every provocation from Marcos Rojo.

Costa put more thought, intention and effort into going to ground and skirmishing with Rojo than he did to anything related to scoring. He rarely (ok, never) had his head up to receive a pass. He made few runs into the box, with or without the ball. He held up play long enough to concede possession, and then looked for an opportunity to get sent off.

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Diego Costa created nothing but liabilities for Chelsea. Nearly any other striker in the league would have had more looks on goal and fewer fouls than Costa. Chelsea may need Romelu Lukaku or Paulo Dybala for the Champions League next year. But they would improve at the position by playing well near anyone.

And through it all, Michy Batshuayi sat on the bench. Antonio Conte surely understood that Costa was more likely to go in the book than the scoresheet. Conte had to know that Eden Hazard was the only reason Chelsea ever came within 25 yards of David de Gea. Any manager this side of Tony Adams (i.e., maybe not Tim Sherwood) recognized that Chelsea gained nothing from Diego Costa’s presence on the pitch.

If Antonio Conte did not deem Diego Costa’s performance worthy of a substitution, Michy Batshuayi might as well start watching games from the pub. And if Marcos Alonso’s absence does not result in a simple replacement by Nathan Ake, the young Dutchman should get on the phone with his agent and Eddie Howe.

As baffling (infuriating?) as Michy Batshuayi’s situation has been, there is at least the weak defence that Michael Emenalo dropped Michy Batshuayi on Conte’s lap. Batshuayi was not part of the Chelsea squad that Conte sized up in the spring and early summer. He was not on Conte’s wish list. Conte may feel Emenalo needlessly signed Batshuayi and that absolves him of responsibility for Batshuayi’s lost season.

But Nathan Ake’s situation is 100% Antonio Conte’s own doing. Conte executed Ake’s recall clause. Conte determined that Chelsea needed Ake back home more than they needed him playing regularly at Bournemouth. Conte recognized that Chelsea needed depth at left centre-back and left wing-back. And Conte is the one who refuses to do anything with him besides write his name (sometimes) on the substitutions list.

A disturbing thread in recent weeks is the notion among some Chelsea fans that criticism is unwarranted because the Blues are atop the Premier League. That is a dangerous conclusion based on specious reasoning. That logical progression leads inevitably to the Emirates.

Next: Chelsea transfer news: Blues enter race for Youri Tielemans

Antonio Conte’s handling of Michy Batshuayi and Nathan Ake’s playing time and careers deserves criticism. If Chelsea win the title, these decisions must still be questioned. If Chelsea do not, these questions should be among the loudest after yesterday’s loss.