Chelsea: Eden Hazard joins Olivier Giroud in the latest 3-5-2 variant

Antonio Conte is continuing his experimentation with Olivier Giroud in Chelsea’s familiar formations. Eden Hazard will join the Frenchman in a 3-5-2, while Alvaro Morata starts on the bench.

Olivier Giroud is having all the fun Michy Batshuayi never did. Giroud is once again in Chelsea’s Premier League starting XI, this time with Eden Hazard in support as the shadow striker in the 3-5-2. This was one of the less productive formations Antonio Conte persisted in over the season, but Giroud offers many of the possibilities Alvaro Morata could not. Giroud’s physicality, hold-up play and effectiveness as the target man may unlock the formation and Hazard more than the Spaniard did.

Elsewhere in the starting XI, Gary Cahill is once again in the back-line. This is the third consecutive game in which Conte has preferred Cahill over Andreas Christensen. Cahill has been solid in the previous games, but not to the level Christensen was playing at prior to his fatigue during the international break.

Once again, no one should ever count Cahill out. His time at Chelsea is one of falling behind and fighting back in, falling behind and fighting back in.

The combination of Christensen and Antonio Rudiger seemed insurmountable. Both players – as individuals and as a pair – could do everything Cahill could do and many of the things he could not. Yet, somehow, Cahill is back in the picture right when Chelsea once again have significant ambitions. The Blues are within striking distance of fourth- and maybe even third-place, as well as the FA Cup. Antonio Conte likely desires Cahill’s leadership over Christensen’s quality.

But if that was the case, he could also start Cahill over Rudiger. Rudiger has come on strong in the last few weeks, but again not to the level Christensen was at before April. By making the straight-swap of Cahill for Christensen, Conte is playing the Englishman in his weaker position along the back-line. It is hard to escape the idea that there is more to Christensen’s condition than fatigue accumulating on a young player.

The one aspect of tactics where Conte may prefer Cahill is Cahill’s increased willingness and ability to charge forward in the attack. Christensen – either from training or inexperience – rarely ventures across midfield. He is a truly defensive defender, exactly the sort of player a team needs against high-scoring opponents in a fluid game. Chelsea will not be caught out as long as Christensen is on the pitch.

But in the last few games against bottom-of-the-table opponents, Cahill has spent much of the game pushing Chelsea forward. He takes station in the offensive half and helps hold the line of pressure.

Chelsea have moved all their lines forward to a very compact, overlapping, sometimes mingled set-up in recent matches. The outside centre-backs have played like wing-backs, the wing-backs have played like wingers and Cahill has been up alongside the midfielders. Antonio Conte may trust Cahill to overcome his defensive instincts more than Christensen to apply this maximum amount of pressure.

Next: Predictions: Blues will not need great football to win

This is a significant risk given Cahill’s abject lack of speed. But with opponents like Southampton, Burnley and now Swansea City, the risk is manageable.