Chelsea fell further behind after Antonio Conte got his tactics wrong
Antonio Conte got his tactics wrong on Saturday afternoon as Chelsea struggled to escape with a draw. The Blues need wins, not draws.
It is brave to criticise Antonio Conte’s tactics (just ask David Luiz). After all, the Italian is paid millions to do his job and his success last season is testament to his quality as a tactician. However, against Liverpool on Saturday, Conte did get it wrong. With Manchester City running away with the Premier League title, Chelsea needed to win, not draw.
Conte caused a stir prior to kick-off by selecting Danny Drinkwater ahead of Cesc Fabregas. Fabregas has his critics, but the Blues would be missing a significant creative source with the Spaniard sitting on the bench.
Drinkwater did not let himself down, though. He worked hard and found himself in some surprising parts of the field, latching onto through balls. Unfortunately, he couldn’t find the end product.
However, apart from those moments and a bit of Eden Hazard magic, Liverpool were the better side. They dominated for long periods of the game and Chelsea were reliant on Hazard to start and finish any attacking endeavour.
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This was a defensive set-up by Conte which could have been appropriate in another situation, but not on Saturday. The Blues started the weekend nine points behind City. With Pep Guardiola’s side playing on Sunday, Chelsea and their rivals had a chance to exert a little pressure by closing the gap. Manchester United struggled to a win, but won nonetheless. The Blues, meanwhile, face a potential 11 point gap.
Despite there being a lot of football still to play this season, that deficit is almost insurmountable. Chelsea fans knew that they needed to win and, more frustratingly, knew that Liverpool were there for the taking.
Klopp’s side have a lot of attacking talent, but their defence is poor. If Chelsea had come roaring out of the blocks, the attacking threat would have been nullified by blind panic. An early goal would have enabled the Blues to take control.
Conte could have used the 3-4-3 in order to provide an extra attacking option. He needed to take that risk.
Instead, the Chelsea midfield failed to keep the ball. The defence did well to cope with the pressure being applied, but they had no relief when they cleared their lines.
Many people argue, justifiably, that Fabregas would have been ineffective in this game. The gegenpress would have rushed a player who usually requires a lot of time on the ball. However, Conte could have used the 3-4-3 in order to provide an extra attacking option. For all the fears of the midfield being exposed, Chelsea dominated nearly every team last season in this formation.
Moreover, this was a game that should have been won or lost. Chelsea needed to take that risk to increase their chances of securing three points. A draw does nothing for the Blues. Even the most optimistic of fans would probably admit that the title defence is over.
For those worrying about the top four? Tottenham’s 3pm result meant Chelsea would have remained in the Champions League spots even with a loss. In fact, this was a chance to better Spurs’ efforts and further the gap between the Blues and fifth place.
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Chelsea should have played to win that game. Sorry, but Conte got his tactics wrong.