Can Conte tailor his tactics to accommodate both Kante and Matic?
“When I was in Italy, I like to say that the manager is like a tailor, you must build the best dress for the team.” That was the assessment of Antonio Conte when discussing how he would set up his new Chelsea side at his opening press conference.
Much has been made of the Italian’s penchant for a back three system, and there’s little wonder he favours that formation having had such great success with it at Juve and more recently at Euro 2016. But this current crop of Chelsea players isn’t familiar with the set-up at all. They aren’t tailor-made to play that way so if Conte did want to adopt a 3-5-2 then he has plenty of work to do, not only on the training ground but also in the transfer market before the season begins.
The club has unsurprisingly been heavily linked with a number of centre-backs ever since Conte’s appointment was announced, but the man believed to be closest to becoming the next arrival at Stamford Bridge is a midfielder.
Indeed, should the Blues get a deal over the line for N’Golo Kante, the initial assumption would be that the France international would be the man tasked with shielding the Chelsea defence. However, the need for an out-and-out defensive midfielder is lessened in front of a back three, so should the Leicester man make the move to the capital it will be on him to showcase more than just his ability to break up play.
That, though, would be no problem for a player that proved last season - his first in England - to be far more than just a ball winner, and while comparisons to Claude Makelele are certainly meant as a compliment, it’s perhaps a disservice to pigeonhole Kante in such a way. Entrusted with showing the sort of energy that would allow Leicester not only to regain possession but also break forward at great speed, the former Caen midfielder was nothing short of a sensation.
While producing more tackles (175) and interceptions (156) than any other player in Europe’s top five leagues last season, Kante also boasted the best pass accuracy for a Leicester side willing to play the sort of vertical passes that ensured they caught opponents unawares. With a further 47 dribbles - third for the Premier League champions - and 4 assists from 30 chances created from open play, the 25-year old proved to be an asset in the final third as well as his own.
It is, however, Kante’s indefatigable approach to the game that will have best struck a chord to the new Chelsea manager. The buzz word for Conte, at least until he develops an already impressive vocabulary in English, is 'fight'. He likes to have a midfield general in his side - or two - capable of taking some pressure off of and affording space to his deep-lying playmaker in a midfield three.
"It's important to have players who are ready to fight, play good football and transfer our passion and emotion to the fans." Conte’s desire to bring his near namesake to the club is more than understandable, though if Leicester did allow their pocket dynamo to leave for London, he’d unlikely be the last addition to what will be a new look Chelsea side.
Radja Nainggolan is another player that was long linked with a transfer to the Blues, fitting the mould of midfielder that Conte has tended to take a liking too, but the Belgian recently expressed a desire to stay at Roma. The Italian likes his two flanking midfielders to get from box-to-box, covering plenty of ground, and both Nainggolan and Kante are capable of exactly that.
Indeed, despite the new manager’s apparent suggestions otherwise, that could yet spell trouble for Nemanja Matic, who already has the imposing figure of Ruben Loftus-Cheek breathing down his neck. The Serbian was deemed an indispensable player this time twelve months ago but after a disappointing campaign his future at the club has been shrouded in doubt for some time.
Having become an instant fan favourite at the club upon his arrival, Matic failed to replicate his form from Chelsea’s victorious 2014/15 campaign, in which he played a pivotal role. The 27-year old - like Kante last season - produced the most tackles in the league (128) to inspire his side to the English title, but whether both would be needed in the engine room is certainly debatable.
Where Matic’s frame allows him to eat up the grass he appeared more leggy than lanky last season, having essentially played non-stop the campaign previous. His ability to keep up with the intensity of a manager who demands players leave nothing out on the pitch is perhaps a little questionable, up against Kante’s at least, with the Frenchman having effectively dethroned the Chelsea man as the leading ball-winning midfielder in England last term.
Matic’s tackles dropped substantially from a whopping 3.6 per game to 2.5 last season and his influence in general waned in a Chelsea side that failed to get close to the standards they had set in 2014/15. The Serbian’s passes were way down from 63.8 per game to a modest 48.7 and his WhoScored.com understandably plummeted from 7.50 - ranking just outside the top ten in the Premier League - to 6.98 - ranking just outside the top 100.
While it remains to be seen whether Conte will enforce a drastic tactical reshuffle to accommodate a 3-man defence, a midfield trio certainly seems likely to be on the cards. A three that included both Kante and Matic flanking Fabrgeas, should the Spaniard be utilised at the heart of the midfield to pull the strings, would surely lack the attacking thrust required to adequately supporting those further forward.
Though Matic is far from a lost cause - just as one good season doesn’t make you a superstar, one bad one doesn’t mean you’re a spent force - a midfield composing he and Kante could struggle to provide the goals from midfield that are often so crucial to a prospective title bid. Conte, after all, saw plenty from the likes of Vidal and Pogba in particular at Juve. In that case, even if Matic does stay, don’t expect Kante to be the last midfielder through the door at the Bridge.
Could Kante and Matic work effectively alongside one another in midfield? Let us know in the comments below
