CONTE’S UNSEEN WORK IS THE CHAMPIONS’ SHINING LIGHT
IT HAS been an amazing season for Antonio Conte, adapting to English football in what has been one of the most competitive seasons ever in the Premier League. But it has been a great campaign to underline the importance of tactics to the game. No one would dispute that the turning point in this title race came when Conte switched to a back three after the 3-0 defeat at Arsenal. Watching that game, he switched to the system in the second half and the team looked a lot more solid and got of a grip of possession.
I remember speculating on the TV as to whether he would stick with the system after the game and that I thought he would. Of course, I’ve always been a big advocate of that particular way of playing. I feel it gives you numbers in midfield and strength at the back with the flexibility of the full-backs.
And it is almost the full-backs that have most impressed me this season. When Conte first started using the system, it was almost as if he didn’t care whether he had the players that fitted the system; he was going to make it work whatever.
Marcos Alonso and Victor Moses looked like the weak link but actually they have both turned out to be excellent. I’ve been particularly taken with Moses and the way he has adapted to his defensive responsibilities.
But the other player who has shone recently is one who initially looked as if he might be the odd man out under Conte. Cesc Fabregas has been immense of late. He is a wonderful player and quite some player to have coming off the bench.
If you are winning the game he is so good at keeping possession, which is exactly what you need to keep control of the match. And if you are losing, he is the man who can produce a game-changing assist. He showed that again against Middlesbrough on Monday night.
Conte has managed so many situations well, from Fabregas to dealing with Diego Costa’s apparent unrest in January to responding to his shaky start. In a league in which the likes of Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho and Jurgen Klopp were all expected to make the big impact, he has created a team with by far the best balance. They are best both in possession of the ball and without the ball.
The hours and hours he has spent on the training ground, walking players through their positions, often without a ball and even without any opponents, simply to install the right shape into his team, will never make headlines or catch the eye.
But it is the unseen work of the coach which shines through on match day and that is what Conte has done this season. He deserves massive credit, as do his team. They have been by far the best.
Let’s hope that next season they can do something about the below-par performances of Premier League clubs in the Champions League.