Antonio Conte’s signature is all over Chelsea’s Premier League triumph
By Vishnu Raj
Chelsea’s fifth Premier League title turned the page on Jose Mourinho’s era of influence at the club. The triumph – and the club – are truly Antonio Conte’s.
Chelsea won their first premier league title in 2004-05 season under Jose Mourinho, starting Chelsea’s dominance under the ownership of Roman Abramovich. At the time of Mourinho’s arrival, the most popular formation was a 4-4-2. Mourinho lined up his team in 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3 formations.
This seemingly simple change powered them to win the Premier League in consecutive years. The shift revolutionised English football. More teams moved on from two men up front to a lone striker.
Chelsea, until this season, followed variations of those set-ups Mourinho introduced. Along with the formations, the team maintained a Mourinho identity over that period. Despite the changes of managers, Chelsea’s style over the years was reminiscent of Jose Mourinho’s team.
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The presence of John Terry, Frank Lampard, Petr Cech, Didier Drogba ensured that. Even the Champions League-winning team had shades of Mourinho’s era. Only under Carlo Ancelotti did the team start to strike out on a new identity.
To the extent it was ever gone, the Mourinho style returned when Jose Mourinho returned to Chelsea. He put his signature back on the team even as the members of old guard started to move away from the club. The Blues tended to follow Mourinho’s style when the team wanted to hold on to a one-goal lead or defend a rapid opposition attack.
When Antonio Conte began his life at Chelsea, he did not want to break the structure of the team altogether. He started with a back four, only changing the system after poor results culminating into a landmark loss.
The introduction of the back-three was the catalyst for the change in identity. Chelsea no longer played the way they had for over a decade. Everyone had new positions and new roles. Conte changed the way Chelsea play like no other manager had since Jose Mourinho.
He allowed those players who were shadows of their former selves or not important to his system to move on. He was able to stamp his authority on the team the way he did to Juventus. Players enjoyed this change and they accepted it wholeheartedly.
The team is now truly Antonio Conte’s side. They have no tendencies nor inclination to go back to playing like a Mourinho side. John Terry was the last man to connect the old Chelsea with the new, and his era is likewise over.
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Thirteen years ago, the rest of the Premier League fell in line behind Jose Mourinho with his Chelsea formations. Now that Antonio Conte has made the back-three formation popular in England, a number of teams are using this set-up. Chelsea’s title is a testament to Antonio Conte’s impact, and it has his signature all over it.