Why Conte’s Defensive Tactics Would Not Work With Chelsea As It Does With The Italian National Team And Serie A

Just after the European completion, the Italian gaffer Antonio Conte will take the charge of the Stamford Bridge. The entire fan following of Chelsea Football Club will be eager to see how the manager of Conte’s stature will perform in what can be called as the toughest leagues in the world. Checkout William Hill, if you are willing to bet on Conte’s success next season.

The 46-year-old Antonio Conte has a bag full of experience in management. The Italian manager helped Bari and Siena to achieve promotion from Serie B to Serie A, and besides that, he won his major achievements with Juventus where he helped the side to lift 3 back to back Serie A titles and two Supercoppa Italiana.

Antonio Conte is considered as one of the most successful managers in the history of the sport, and with him at the helm of the Stamford Bridge is surely a positive sign for the Blues. The London club had a very difficult time in the 2015-16 season as they saw the sacking of Jose Mourinho and his controversies with the doctor Eva Carneiro which resulted in the departure of both.

Their interim manager did a pretty good job as his cool and composed style of management helped the struggling side to finish the campaign on the top half of the table. Chelsea will not be hosting any European nights at Stamford Bridge next season, and that could be a positive term for the incoming manager. Conte will now have to focus on the league itself and that could help the side to get back on the track.

It is safe to say that Conte, in his initial stages at the Bridge will be experimenting to try to get a permanent and suitable formation for the club and therefore, we do not expect to get some instant fair results. What we have observed about Conte is; he usually deploys 3 defenders and all of them possess a rock solid physique. Just to get a glimpse, see how he used Bonucci, Barzagli and Chiellini during his time at Juventus, but we feel that he might be forced to use a different tactic this time around.

Besides that, it is usually observed that he loves to frustrate his opponents by a compact defensive formation. His goals usually comes from quick counter attacks and then again, the players sit at the back to defend their lines.

Conte is surely a masterclass in his defensive tactics, but we feel that he should avoid using the same tactics in the Premier League as we all are aware of the fact that most of the Premier League clubs know how to assert an intense pressure on the opponents on and off the ball. Besides that, Chelsea, at this very moment do not have a center back on whom the team could rely easily. Garry Cahill is a solid centre half, but he has his limitations, Zouma is still not that experienced, and therefore, sitting back and defending for their lives will not be the thing the fans would love to see.

In the video, the Italian defence is operating in a well disciplined manner, but that might not work in the Premier League as the Chelsea team is not the strongest in asserting pressure. Players like Ozil, Sanchez and Mahrez could easily cut the midfield with a brilliant splitting pass and the players will be left red faced.

Antonio Conte is wonder in management without any doubt, but playing a defensive tactic might not be the thing the fans would expect from him.