Chelsea: Can Antonio Conte now play his preferred formation?

David Luiz made a shock return to Stamford Bridge on transfer deadline day. Has the re-acquisition of the Brazilian put the pieces in place for Antonio Conte to now make this Chelsea team his own?

Antonio Conte is still putting his stamp on what his Chelsea will ultimately look like. The transfer window brought some mixed results for the Italian, with David Luiz eventually being the headline buy.

Conte has three wins from three Premier league games so far, but the performances haven’t always matched the results. A 4-1-4-1 formation has been predominantly utilized by the Chelsea boss, although a switch to his favored system could now be on the way.

Whilst with Juventus and the Italian national team in the past, Conte has preferred to use a 3-5-2 setup. That hasn’t been possible until now with the Blues. The return of David Luiz, in particular, however, should now allow Conte to play his preferred way.

In addition to Luiz, another defensive reinforcement arrived in Marcos Alonso. Alonso could help Conte transition to a back three should he be looking to do so. The Spaniard is a flexible player who can play anywhere down the left side of the pitch – including wing back.

Whilst Luiz’s ball-playing style would be a good fit for one of the outside centre-back roles in a three-man defense. Terry or Cahill would suit the central role. Which just leaves one more centre-back slot – Branislav Ivanovic or Kurt Zouma, presumably. Cesar Azpilicueta could fit in as the right wing back.

Juan Cuadrado would also have been a good right wing back. The Colombian has played there before and would have been a nice option to have. Unfortunately, the club shipped Cuadrado off on a three-year loan to Juventus – as you do.

In the opening three games, the midfield has seen N’Golo Kante take a starring role, with Nemanja Matic given more of a forward role alongside Oscar. This is where the 3-5-2 runs into some trouble at Chelsea.

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If Conte was to play Matic, Oscar and Kante as the central three, with Alonso and Azpilicueta as wing backs, where does Eden Hazard fit in? Striker? Hazard cannot play wing back. In theory the whole team should be built around the Belgian.

What’s his best position? Where does he shine the most? Then build form there. But Hazard would need to be shoehorned into a 3-5-2 somewhere. Either as a striker or as a number 10 (which means Oscar benched) with just two central midfielders. Decisions, decisions.

Perhaps Luiz could take up a surprise position in midfield? The Brazilian is a far better passer of the ball than Matic is, and probably more of a goal threat too. Although then Conte would be a centre-back short for his three-man back line.

Next: David Luiz not a Conte signing?

The strikers pick themselves. In a 3-5-2, Diego Costa and Michy Batshuayi would be the starting two. Unless, that is, Hazard is given a striker role and allowed to roam free. It could be worth a try given the options. Striker is probably the position that is the most straight forward.

The rest of the team is a little more complicated, but, seemingly moving towards Conte’s vision. Post transfer window the Chelsea boss is now closer to his preferred formation. But whether he now has all the pieces he needs is yet to be determined.

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