Chelsea: Conte masterminded Danny Drinkwater – Philippe Coutinho matchup

The biggest transfer that never happened last summer was Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona. Liverpool rejected a series of bids for the little Brazilian, reportedly culminating in a £128 million bid before deadline day. So, where was the sought-after Brazilian on Saturday against Chelsea? In Danny Drinkwater’s pocket.

Antonio Conte controversially started Drinkwater over Cesc Fabregas. Many put it down to rotation and keeping Fabregas fresh for the exhausting festive period. No doubt fitness was a consideration, but away at Liverpool is an odd time to rotate ahead of Chelsea’s easier clashes with Swansea and Newcastle.

This was not rotation. This was tactical. Conte looked at the matchups across the park and did not like Fabregas vs. Coutinho in midfield.

The thought of Fabregas trying to prevent Coutinho from cutting inside onto his right foot is terrifying. Fabregas is a liability without the ball. His lack of physicality and poor defensive skill set has exposed Chelsea’s back line throughout this season.

A player with Fabregas’ gifts and talents, however, should not be expected to mark his opponent out of the game. He is an artist and, as Oscar Wilde wrote, “good artists exist simply in what they make.” Fabregas exists in his passing and cannot (and should not) bother with the more prosaic aspects of the game.

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It is not unfair to point out that Drinkwater is not an artist. He may not make the pitch his canvas, but he is an effective workman. His marking was superb on Saturday, and Coutinho, an artist in his own right, was anonymous.

The Brazilian’s only moment of note came in the 41st minute. As he drifted to the right hand side to evade Drinkwater’s attentions, a cross came his way. Rather than compete against Eden Hazard for it, he threw himself to the ground in an unsuccessful attempt to con a penalty. This was as close as he got to making the difference in this match.

Jurgen Klopp said Chelsea lined up with eight defenders. Drinkwater is adept at defending, but he is no defender. It is poor spin from Klopp. If anything, the England international was one of Chelsea’s most dangerous players throughout the match. He started attacks, exploited space and burst forward.

But if only Conte would have gone after Liverpool’s fragile defense by starting Fabregas! To quote a famous American football analyst: “If ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ were candy and nuts, we’d all have a merry Christmas.”

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Antonio Conte did not miss a trick on Saturday. The Chelsea boss created an effective game plan following a very challenging week of travel. Resting Fabregas was not a mistake. He was simply not the right player for the match. Danny Drinkwater got the nod instead and acquitted himself superbly.