Victor Moses Has Become the Embodiment of Chelsea's Resurgence

When Antonio Conte arrived at Chelsea, he found a squad in desperate need of rejuvenation. Almost to a man, the Blues had underperformed the season before. Players like Eden Hazard and Diego Costa, renowned as among the top stars in Europe, had played nowhere near their best as Chelsea charted the worst title defence in Premier League history.

Just three months into the 2016/17 campaign, the Italian has indeed revived Chelsea’s ailing stars. With Sunday’s win over Southampton their fourth successive victory, the Blues’ stars are shining bright once again. But one player’s resurgence has come as more of a surprise than most.

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Many Chelsea fans might have forgotten Victor Moses was even on the books of their club heading into this season, with the Nigeria international farmed out on loan three times, to three different clubs, since making the move to Stamford Bridge in 2012. He has become a key player under Conte, though.

That was underlined by his performance at St Mary’s Stadium. While Costa and Hazard scored the goals, making the highlight reel, Moses was arguably the best player on the pitch. But it wasn’t as the attacking midfielder he was signed as. He was used as a wing-back, and to great effect.

It wasn’t an isolated case. Conte has used Moses as a wing-back since switching to a back three following last month’s 3-0 defeat to Arsenal. The Italian has seen something in him, finding a position for the Nigerian where nobody else had envisaged for him. 

Tactically, Moses is integral to Chelsea’s new 3-4-3 shape. Without him, the whole thing would falter. Without him, they might not have notched four successive wins over the past month. He is crucial to both the Blues’ defence and attack, filling in as part of a back five when needed and springing forward on the attack when Chelsea have the ball. Conte has found a use for his versatility. 

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Of course, Conte is a coach who has long favoured a 3-4-3 formation. He used it with both Juventus and the Italian national team, so it should not be much of a surprise that he has reverted to default in times of trouble at his new club. At Juve, Stephan Lichtsteiner was used as a wing-back on the right flank, becoming a tactical lynchpin for Conte. Moses is being moulded into a similar figure at Chelsea this season.

"I have not played there before but I have just got to listen to what the manager asks me to do in that position, and the way he wants me to do it," Moses said after Sunday’s 2-0 win over Southampton, as per Lyall Thomas of Sky Sports. "Every game we play I just want to keep on improving. The more games you play, the more experience you get in that position. I'm really relishing it at the moment and enjoying it.

"It's very important to understand your team-mates. I have got Cesar Azpilicueta there, the spare right-back, who is behind me, and he communicates with me and really helps me out to make sure I am in the right position. 

"Defensively we all work as a unit in training and every day in training the manager is on top of us to make sure we are solid. He's also very helpful on the touchline. He talks to you to make sure you're in the right position.”

Of course, the Blues' structure down the right wing needs more than Moses to work. The Nigerian is required to dovetail with both his defensive and attacking team-mates, and that is perhaps the most impressive part of his resurgence. This is the first season in three years that Moses has featured as a first-team figure at Chelsea, yet he has slotted in seamlessly.

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"It's very good to link up with Pedro or Willian, too,” Moses continued. “They know when it's time for me to go or when not to go. We speak to each other and we look at each other's movement to make sure we are doing the right thing on the pitch. I'm feeling happy, I'm feeling excited and right now I'm looking forward to every game.”

The turnaround in Moses’ career is quite remarkable. Loan spells at Liverpool, Stoke City and West Ham United did not hint at a player with a future at Chelsea, and yet with one managerial change he has become central to everything at Stamford Bridge. It might be that Conte one day turns to the transfer market to find a more illustrious replacement to fulfil the Nigerian’s job in his 3-4-3 formation, but for the moment, Moses is enjoying a renaissance. 

Not so long ago, Conte was fending off questions over his future, but now he is clearing a space on his mantelpiece for the Manager of the Month award that is surely coming his way. Chelsea are now considered title contenders, with the Italian’s team just a point off the top of the Premier League. 

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Moses isn’t the only one to have benefited from Conte’s shift in formation. Cesar Azpilicueta is another who has found himself playing a somewhat different role, operating as one of the back three while also joining in when Chelsea hit out on the counter-attack. It’s a blueprint that blurs the lines between defence and attack, making the most of the Blues’ squad. Conte might have devised the most modern of modern football systems, with Moses the epitome of it.

“I think that this role is very important in this system,” Conte explained after victory on the south coast, as per Sam Cunningham of the MailOnline. “You must have good stamina and quality to play as a wing-back. I ask my wing-backs to do offensive and defensive duties.”

For all that they have found their groove over the past month, there remains a sense that Chelsea are still a work-in-progress under Conte. They are far from the finished product, but Moses is emblematic of how the Italian could mould the Blues. If he can improve one player so drastically, imagine what he could do to an entire team given time.