Analysing the Surprise Selections Antonio Conte Has Made so Far at Chelsea
It's been four matches and four wins for Antonio Conte's Chelsea. After the pessimism that defined the past 12 months, things are looking much more positive in west London as we come out of the September international break.
We're back talking about Chelsea's strengths rather than their frailties, and the team looks in good shape. There's still plenty more to be done before we can start regarding them as genuine contenders for the title, but the early signs are there for what Conte is hoping to achieve.
In the short time he has officially been manager, Conte has made a positive impact, with some unexpected moves along the way to strengthen Chelsea's resolve.
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But what have been his surprise selections? And where have they impacted Chelsea the most? Bleacher Report takes a closer look.
Benching Cesc Fabregas
Watching Cesc Fabregas warming up on the touchline in three of Chelsea's first four matches this season, running up and down to get his manager's attention like a young upstart, has to be one of the biggest shocks in these early days of Conte's Chelsea reign.
Given the failings of the Blues last season, it stands to reason that Fabregas has been left out. He doesn't offer the same level of intensity that Nemanja Matic and Oscar can in those central areas, which is vital to Chelsea winning the ball and attacking opponents.
For Conte's methods to work, he needs that physical edge in midfield. That means his teams can dictate the pace of matches and physically dominate.
Fabregas' game is much more refined than that. He's a luxury to be indulged, and right now, after Chelsea's last season, Conte has no desire to take that risk.
That's the logic, but so often in football, we don't always see it applied. For most managers, transfer fees and profile can cloud the judgement. For players of Fabregas' reputation, some will try to find a way for the team to function around them as they simply can't have the big name on the bench.
As the manager who signed him, Jose Mourinho adopted that approach. But when a player has cost north of £30 million and been so integral to your team winning the title, how do you change that?
For Mourinho, it would've had been an acceptance of failure almost. Dropping Fabregas when things got tough would have been unthinkable. It would have been a public declaration of Chelsea's frailties.
As the fresh face in the dugout, Conte hasn't had that problem. If Fabregas was a mistake—which, for the record, he hasn't been for Chelsea, regardless of the times he has struggled—then he was somebody else's and not Conte's.
He has a clean slate in that regard, but still, we didn't believe Conte would actually drop Fabregas from his team. In doing so, Conte has shown why Chelsea appointed him. He's come into the club without any fears on how he is going to improve things. He's showing he's very much his own man.
There was a scepticism to how Chelsea would function in an attacking sense without Fabregas. With four wins in four matches, those doubts have been proved wrong. Just. Chelsea have been dominant in every one of their matches this season under Conte.
Fabregas was only needed late on against Watford to turn territorial dominance into three points.
It's for that reason he has a future at Chelsea. He's simply too talented in those areas for the club to allow Fabregas to go elsewhere. Conte doesn't have another player in his team like Fabregas, and as the season develops—the Chelsea squad with it—the expectation should be that Fabregas will feature more regularly than he has.
He may not start every week, but the Spaniard has plenty to offer still.
The formation
For all the speculation and debate surrounding systems and formations, Conte has gone with what few were predicting. But the 4-1-4-1 has worked.
Given his penchant for playing with two frontmen, it was always what we expected at Chelsea. Regardless of what was behind them, we thought a strike partnership would return to Stamford Bridge for the first time since the days of Eidur Gudjohnsen and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.
What Conte's done instead is unleash Eden Hazard, leaving Diego Costa alone up front.
With Oscar and Matic working hard in central areas, the Belgian is doing less defensively. That has left him free to loiter further forward and impact games in the areas where he is most dangerous.
Two goals in three starts shows it's working. It took Hazard until April last season to register that number, so it's all looking more positive for him. His 14 shots in those three Premier League outings is another factor that outlines the fact that he's getting himself into the positions where he needs to be.
With Hazard a menace, Costa is also benefiting. Defenders are working hard to pick him up as Hazard's threat has got them focused elsewhere.
Indeed, with that in mind, Conte's system has Hazard as the second striker—just not in a literal sense.
Further back, with N'Golo Kante as the one-man defensive screen for the defence, Chelsea are looking a more solid unit. Two goals conceded in their first three league games is a stark improvement on seven at the same stage of 2015/16.
Keeping Victor Moses at the club
The trend for Victor Moses used to be a good pre-season would be followed by a loan move away from Chelsea. It happened in 2013/14 when he joined Liverpool for the season, which was followed by Stoke City in 2014/15 and then West Ham United last year.
Starting Conte's first game as Chelsea boss against Rapid Vienna in July, Moses hasn't disappeared this time. His work ethic and desire have tapped into what his manager likes in players, and Moses has now earned his place in the squad.
It's a remarkable turnaround for a player who had become a forgotten man at Stamford Bridge.
Keeping a low profile, Moses hasn't always been a reflection of what Chelsea are about. He isn't a megastar who was brought in for big money. Instead it was a rather modest £9 million paid to Wigan Athletic in 2012.
Despite those three loan moves, Moses has kept his chin up and taken his opportunities under Conte. He's scored twice already this season—one against Bristol Rovers, followed up by Chelsea's third against Burnley—and looks a strong member of the squad.
Moses doesn't offer the same individual talent as Hazard and others, but coming off the bench, he is exactly what Conte needs. He helps Chelsea maintain their intensity late on in games, and that is a valuable commodity, meaning Conte's men don't have to drop their level as the clock ticks down.
Moses' Chelsea renaissance under Conte should give hope to other players on the fringes. If the endeavour and commitment are there, the manager will listen.
Allowing Juan Cuadrado to leave
It's probably down to the emergence of Moses that Conte has allowed Juan Cuadrado to depart Chelsea for another season on loan at Juventus.
Still, it's a surprise as Conte made no secret of his desire to work with the Colombian.
Cuadrado had been a long-term target of Conte's, with the Italian wanting him as far back as when he was Juventus manager. So arriving at Chelsea, we thought Cuadrado would get another chance. Indeed, after the first game of pre-season against Rapid Vienna, Conte told reporters the Colombian would remain in west London.
"He's in our squad, I'm very happy to have him and train him." Conte said at the time. "I wanted him when I was a coach at Juventus and he will come back very soon and train and play with us."
The more pre-season went on and we saw little of Cuadrado, it was clear the manager's perspective was changing.
Given how Cuadrado failed so miserably in his first six months as a Chelsea player, there will be plenty of fans out there happy to see it's Moses who has the fourth spot for a winger in Conte's squad.
Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes obtained first-hand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes.
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