Chelsea’s wing-backs still stuck in transition into this season’s shifting tactics

Chelsea’s wing-backs have not been as influential this season as they were in their break-out campaign under Antonio Conte. Marcos Alonso and Victor Moses are caught between their well-defined roles last year and the lingering tactical flux of this campaign.

The re-emergence of the wing-back may be Antonio Conte’s most widespread legacy in the Premier League. But as the imitators abound, the originators are no longer the dominant force. Marcos Alonso and Victor Moses are still stalwarts in Chelsea’s lineup. But the constant shift between a 3-4-3, 3-4-3 with a false-nine and a 3-5-2 has deprived them of the tactics and consistency they need to propel the club as they did last year.

Chelsea’s 3-4-3 last season used the wing-backs to connect play in three directions. They linked the outside centre-backs to the same-side wingers. They offered crosses into the box towards Diego Costa (Alonso far better than Moses). And they used the central-midfielders as a recycle option, or to set up Cesc Fabregas to provide service to the forwards.

The 3-4-3 with the false-nine and the 3-5-2 each remove one of those main passing functions. All of the formations this year move the wingers around more freely than last season, when Eden Hazard worked the left and Willian or Pedro stayed on the right. This season, the wingers come central, come deep and switch sides more frequently.

This takes away the regularity and rapport both wing-backs enjoyed last season with their wingers and, for Marcos Alonso, all those extra things Eden Hazard does when he is nearby.

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Eden Hazard would attract the attention of the opposition’s right-side defenders, whether he was on the ball or not. This gave Marcos Alonso extra time and space to move the ball into position and tease a number of passes while his nominal marker was keeping track of Hazard. If Hazard went on a run or overlap, he created enough space for Alonso to have a clear passing lane from the flank or to push inside and find a pass to Costa in the box or Fabregas up top. If the opposition closed on Alonso, Hazard would come close, pick up the ball and dance his way clear as only he can.

Without Hazard opening these possibilities, Alonso has less space to work with and has to do more on the ball. Many times the best channel for him is to come inside, particularly since Chelsea do not have a target man in the box for his crosses. But when Alonso comes inside, he quickly runs into the defensive wall at the top of the box that has stymied Chelsea so much this season. And by coming off the flank he creates a wide avenue for the opposition to start a counter.

On the other side, Victor Moses has adapted better because he can revert to his original role as a winger. He is accustomed to having space ahead of him and running through it to towards the goal line before driving into the box. In the last month, Moses has become Chelsea’s fourth forward in many situations. He will relinquish his place on the flank to dart into the top of the box. This brings Cesar Azpilicueta up and slightly to the outside to cover the right, with N’Golo Kante then covering any outlet through the half-space.

The defensive switches do not impact the wing-backs as much. The basic defensive scheme is the same as last year. Moses still benefits from having Azpilicueta behind him as defensive cover, and Azpilicueta’s offensive tilt to set up Alvaro Morata creates new offensive opportunities for Moses.

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On the left, Alonso has had more variation behind him. Gary Cahill plays much deeper and more conservatively than Antonio Rudiger, giving Alonso a safer platform to push forward. Rudiger’s speed can better cover for Alonso, but normally Rudiger needs his speed to cover for himself. Rudiger is far more disciplined and responsible than David Luiz, but he still requires Alonso to be aware of his positioning. If Rudiger gets adventurous, Alonso must retreat deep to cover a potential counter until Rudiger returns to his position.

Marcos Alonso and Victor Moses will remain in Chelsea’s best XI for the remainder of the season. Davide Zappacosta has not made a sufficient challenge on the right, and Emerson has not had a chance to make much of any impression on the left. Marcos Alonso has already exceeded last season’s goal tally for another career-best, thanks mostly to his left foot on free kicks.

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This pair was one of Chelsea’s most effective weapons last season. They have been somewhat lost in the shuffle among the Blues’ injury and transfer dramas this season, even as their position was a major transfer need. Hopefully when Antonio Conte finds a solid tactical plan these two will return to their 2016/17 influence.