Chelsea vs. Leicester will be a pivotal game for the Blues’ right wing-backs

Antonio Conte spoke unusually optimistically about Davide Zappacosta’s match readiness. Whether Conte plays him against Leicester or not, the game will be a key moment for the new signing and Chelsea’s incumbent right wing-back, Victor Moses.

Antonio Conte does not sugar-coat the difficulty of a new transfer making his way into the starting XI. Conte bluntly and – at this point – routinely states that new players arrive at Chelsea well behind his standards of physical fitness and tactical sharpness.

Far from being a motivational technique or a way to downplay expectations, Conte accurately conveys reality when he says this. Players without the necessary training time – even a record signing with Real Madrid and Juventus in his past – look lost and exhausted by the 70′ of their first few games under Conte.

This makes his assessment of Davide Zappacosta very surprising and intriguing. Conte said three words about Zappacosta that are quite shocking for a player that has been at Cobham for only a week: “Davide is ready.”

"[H]e is in good physical condition. He worked with me at the national team, he knows my style of football and my ideas very well, and for this reason it is more simple for him to adapt himself to our style… Davide is ready and very soon you can see his performances. It’s a great chance for him. It’s not easy to play in another country with another type of football, but he has the right characteristics to adapt himself very soon. – Chelsea FC"

Those words must be chilling for Victor Moses. Moses locked down the right wing-back spot last season mostly through his impressive growth and performances, but also through the lack of competition. Pedro and Cesar Azpilicueta filled in as necessary, but no one came close to displacing him.

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Moses surely knew that Antonio Conte sought competition and reinforcement at the role. But he probably thought he had more time to settle into his groove and secure his place in September’s Premier League and Champions League games while Zappacosta toiled in training. Now, Moses’ best case scenario is that Zappacosta’s only September start is in the Carabao Cup tie against Nottingham Forest.

If Davide Zappacosta is so close to match readiness, he could pip Moses for the Champions League starting XI against Qarabag. If Moses has a subpar showing against Leicester City, there will be no “if” about it.

Unfortunately for Moses, even a solid performance on Saturday may not be enough to maintain his place on Tuesday or the following weekend. Zappacosta boasts key skills and attributes that Moses lacks. If Alvaro Morata continues to own the airspace in front of the opposition net Conte may not want to delay adding one of Serie A’s best crossers to Morata’s list of servers.

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Starting Saturday at the King Power stadium, Victor Moses is in a new situation with which many of his teammates are already familiar. He is now in a daily battle for his place in the side. His opposite number, Marcos Alonso, relishes this challenge and – with far less competition – has risen higher already this season. Moses must do the same, or he runs the risk of counting down the days to the next domestic cup tie.