Antonio Conte must take action on Chelsea’s under-performing players

Antonio Conte is persisting in using players who have under-performed. This was one of Jose Mourinho’s many fatal flaws, and Conte must rebuild Chelsea’s lineup to avoid his predecessor’s fate.

Chelsea’s title defence under Antonio Conte has not started well. They have already lost three matches, but there is plenty of time to get the season back running. The Blues did not have spectacular start last year either, and things turned out well.

Antonio Conte’s willingness to drop under-performing players from the starting lineup helped him reverse that early trend. He benched players like Oscar and Branislav Ivanovic as they continued their mediocre form from the 2015/16 season. Cesc Fabregas was dropped as well before he was back to his best in the second half of the season.

One reason Jose Mourinho was not able to save his or Chelsea’s season during the 2015/16 title defence was his persistence in keeping players who were ineffective in the starting lineup. He was not willing to drop under-performing players and give opportunity to those in the bench and reserves.

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So far this season, despite having better performing players on the bench, Antonio Conte has continued to back players who are having a poor season. Unlike John Terry, Gary Cahill is not keen on organising the defence. The opposition are learning to take advantage of the obvious moments in which he is unable to communicate with his teammates. On his own, he often takes the ball deep only to put it out for throw-in rather than finding a teammate.

Andreas Christensen, on the other hand, has impressed whenever he has a chance. He has been one of the standout players among Chelsea’s ranks. Unlike Cahill, he always seems in control and is able to read the game like John Terry. Given the troubles Chelsea’s defence is facing, Christensen could be the player to turn it around.

Another player who is having poor outing after poor outing is Chelsea’s 2015/16 player of the year: Willian. His passes are not finding any teammates. He is easily displaced from the ball by opposition players. Despite playing in an attacking position, he has been directly involved in just one goal, which came in the opening match of the season.

He has completed just two key passes in the last five Premier League matches. This shows the problem is not with the strikers. He was also dispossessed more than any other Chelsea player in the game against Crystal Palace.

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Chelsea are still early in their season. But if Antonio Conte does not act soon, it will be difficult for him to get things under control. The sooner he acts, the better it is for Chelsea.