We know all about the mystique of
Antonio Conte. Not only is the new Chelsea head coach seen as a tactical magician,
the Italian is famed for getting the most out of his players.
At Euro 2016, it was Emanuele
Giaccherini who benefited from the Conte effect. The midfielder looked
completely unrecognisable to fans of Premier League football who had witnessed
him struggle for the past few seasons at Sunderland.
The 31-year-old found it so tough in
England that he couldn't even get into a struggling Black Cats side last year
and was sent out on loan to Bologna.
He was a man possessed for the
Azzurri, however. Operating on the left of Italy's five-man midfield in France,
Giaccherini was an animal hungry for a feast. He tormented defenders and even
scored the goal that set his team on their way to a 2-0 victory over Belgium in
the group stage.
Giaccherini's form this summer under
Conte's guidance has earned him a move from the Stadium of Light to Serie A
giants Napoli.
There will be no more relegation scraps for Giaccherini; it's Champions League
football for him now.
On the balance of Chelsea's first
two matches of pre-season under the new boss, Moses is the name that has stood
out. We've seen youngsters such as Ola Aina and Nathaniel Chalobah step in and
impress with the game time they've been given, but the former Wigan Athletic
man has been the story so far.
We've seen this before with him.
Last summer Moses looked impressive when Chelsea toured the United States. He
was full of energy for Jose Mourinho's side and made an impact, but we always
knew that when the season started, the manager would be turning to his trusted
allies.
Indeed, it wasn't long before the
25-year-old was sent across London to join West
Ham United for the season. After a promising start at Upton Park, he
gradually slipped down the pecking order, though. It didn't become the positive
season he was hoping it would.
This time things feel different.
Moses has been Chelsea's standout player in their short tour of Austria, and
he's doing it for a manager who seems to be giving everyone at Stamford Bridge
a clean slate.
Even Papy Djilobodji is getting game time at the moment as Conte
looks to shape his squad ahead of the new Premier League season, with Chelsea
squaring up against West Ham United on August 15.
There are holes that must be filled
in his team, too. There are the defensive problems that we're expecting to be
addressed, and in midfield, Conte is looking for a player to cover the left
side of his four-man attack, assuming he doesn't opt for Eden
Hazard in that role.
If we're comparing Moses and Hazard,
there is no comparison to be made. The latter stands in the world-class
category and for all his endeavour, Moses simply can't compete with that.
What makes Conte's teams so effective, though,
is a desire for them to function as one. That requires players in certain
positions to perform their tasks effectively, such as dropping in to cover the
wide areas when the team doesn't have possession.
It's for that reason Conte is so
animated on the sidelines. He's moving with the defensive line to ensure it
maintains shape; he's pulling his wide men as far to the touchline as he can to
make the pitch bigger. He needs his players to listen and follow his
instructions.
Moses has done that well in these
first two games. We saw Chelsea switch formation to a 4-4-1-1 when defending
against Rapid Vienna at the weekend, a move that was repeated in the 3-0
victory over RZ Pellets on Wednesday.
Looking over his shoulder at the
space in behind him isn't what Hazard is good at. That quality—or lack
thereof—is what drove Mourinho insane with the Belgian, which is why there's an
expectation that Conte may look to play him through the middle instead in this
new system he's introduced.
On paper, at least, it makes sense.
Hazard is a threat in front of goal, and with his technical ability he can
double up as a striker and No. 10 all at once alongside Diego Costa.
A week ago, these were options
Chelsea didn't seem to have. From appearing threadbare and in desperate need of
a major overhaul, Conte's approach has brought about a revitalised feeling to
the squad that the Blues were craving.
Suddenly they look overstocked in
attacking areas when we consider that Pedro, Willian, Kenedy and Juan Cuadrado
will also be competing for those two wide positions.
On profile alone, Moses loses out to
almost all of them. But in these early stages of pre-season, he's stolen a
march on his team-mates who have been enjoying their late holidays. The
Nigerian has shown the sort of graft and commitment that puts a sparkle in
Conte's eye, and the manager has responded.
Against Rapid Vienna, the midfielder
wasn't taken off until the 80th minute; he played for 89 minutes against RZ
Pellets to make him second to John Terry for minutes on the pitch of all the
outfield players.
With unlimited substitutes and a
bench that had Kenedy and others who could play in his position, Conte's
insistence on keeping Moses on the pitch for so long hints at something bigger
down the line for him.
Like Giaccherini, Moses is unfancied
and the antithesis of what we expect from Chelsea. But is he ready to become a
regular under Conte?
SOURCE:
YAHOO
PHOTO: Moses In Action
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