Antonio Conte raises the prospect of Chelsea fielding a 3-4-3 formation

Antonio Conte tolerated a question about something happening in Manchester before addressing Chelsea’s upcoming fixture against Swansea City. He opened the door to Chelsea playing a three-man backline, but in a 3-4-3.

Antonio Conte all but ruled out a starting XI spot for David Luiz or Marcos Alonso on Sunday. He reaffirmed that David Luiz will be a defender in his second spell at Chelsea. He cited “a new method, a new philosophy, a new idea of football” for why he will not yet start Luiz and Alonso.

After an unauspicious start to the press conference with some #banter about the Manchester derby, Conte fielded a substantive question about Chelsea’s future formations. A reporter wanted to know if the new acquisitions mean Conte would deploy a three-man backline as he did at Juventus and Italy.

It can be an opportunity, a solution, yeah. It can happen in the future. This squad can play with 3-4-3, not 3-5-2 like the Italy national team or Juventus, because of the characteristics of the players. – Chelsea FC

Most speculation on Conte’s long-range tactical plans focused on a three-man backline. Kurt Zouma and Andreas Christensen stood out as Chelsea’s best prospects for a three-man defense in the next few seasons. Chelsea would need to purchase a veteran defender with experience in that formation, such as Kalidou Koulibaly, to solidify a relatively young backline.

David Luiz’s arrival accelerated the timeline for Chelsea’s transition from a four-man to three-man defense. Despite being the newest Blue, Luiz came into focus as the one player with a guaranteed place in the line. John Terry, Gary Cahill, Branislav Ivanovic and Kurt Zouma would vie for the other two spots, with Terry likely ready to cash in on his “reduced role” contract.

Conte’s introduction of a 3-4-3 based on “the characteristics of the players” adds a new twist to the tactical speculations. Michy Batshuayi and Diego Costa seemed on the path to being Chelsea’s starting striking pair. The two have been a potent combination late in games when Batshuayi is brought on and the Blues shift from a single striker to a dual-striker formation.

Eden Hazard would be the most likely candidate to play on the left of a three-man front. He creates down the left flank and scores mostly from the high-center of the penalty area. However, on the other side, Michy Batshuayi has never played in a similar role. He would need to learn the right side of the attack, leaving Costa to poach and plod in the center.

Alternatively, Hazard could play freely in the center just behind Costa and Batshuayi. The two strikers would remain central, while Hazard becomes an offensive libero between the midfielders and the strikers.

The four-man midfield raises another host of selection questions. A 3-5-2 seemed in the cards with Marcos Alonso’s signing and Cesar Azpilicueta’s recent offensive tendencies. The Spaniards look like an ideal duo to employ as wingbacks. They would run overlaps on either side of N’Golo Kante and two of Willian, Oscar or Hazard.

In a four-man midfield, N’Golo Kante is assured his spot in the centre. Oscar’s recent two-way play and strategic awareness makes him the strongest candidate to join Kante.

Conte’s choice for the outside midfielders would likely depend on the individual match strategy. Alonso and Azpilicueta offer more as defensive wingbacks. Willian and Oscar provide more on offense, with Nemanja Matic slotting in next to Kante.

All these options are the kind of problem Antonio Conte is surely happy to have. Any combination of the above involves leaving top-flight players on the bench. And this is all without even mentioning Nathaniel Chalobah, Tammy Abraham or Bertrand Traore.