Did Antonio Conte Allow Baba Rahman to Leave Chelsea Too Early?

When Baba Rahman departed Chelsea on loan this summer, the reasons behind the move seemed to sit within the realms of logic.

A three-man defence under Antonio Conte’s leadership had only ever been a rumour at best. It had been imagined but never quite expected that it would come about so rapidly. The reality we thought would come to pass under Conte—this season at least—was more about defensive solidity based around defensive personnel.

Judging by the early exchanges of 2016/17, not even Conte himself had pictured Chelsea’s defensive strength being in attack.

So when Rahman departed for the season to join Schalke on loan, it made sense. The perceived wisdom was that the Ghanaian left-back could gain more experience and restore his confidence back in Germany, where he had made his name.

“Antonio Conte told me that he wants his team to be very defensive, but I am a rather offensive full-back," Rahman told German newspaper Ruhr Nachrichten at the time, per Sky Sports.

“So I would have had very little playing time," he said. "Conte advised me to leave on loan. We will see what happens after this season."

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Perhaps Chelsea should have seen what happened after the summer, as here we are now, with the 3-4-3 born and wing-backs dominating the way Chelsea play football. On the right, the rather unfancied Victor Moses has become one of Chelsea’s most vital names in their current system. On the left, Marcos Alonso is providing the perfect balancing act.

It’s not to criticise Alonso, but why did Chelsea pay £23 million for the Spaniard on transfer deadline day when they could have very easily kept Rahman at the club to do what Alonso is doing now?

Far from being defensive, Chelsea are playing in such a way to feed Rahman's offensive instincts.

That has long been the gripe where Rahman is concerned. He looked exciting on the break for Chelsea last term, yet defensively, he so often let himself down.

When the Blues lost 3-2 to Sunderland at the Stadium of Light in May, Rahman played a big part in the team’s collapse.

It didn’t matter that the Black Cats were struggling against the tide of relegation. Rahman remained an easy target and was pulled out of position for Jermain Defoe to score his side’s winner that afternoon. Within two minutes of coming on, Rahman was dragged out of position for DeAndre Yedlin to cross and Defoe to score.

Chelsea never recovered from that. In a game they had been leading twice, they lost.

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The result summed up Chelsea’s campaign. "Disappointing" didn’t quite do it justice. "Abject" was more fitting. It was also the adjective of choice when describing Rahman’s defending.

Conte would have analysed those videos and known what he was inheriting with the left-back. Rahman as a defender didn’t make sense, and Conte needed much more than what he offered in that regard. As a left wing-back, though, well, it’s a different thing to consider altogether. Just ask Alonso.

Given his history with Bolton Wanderers and Sunderland, eyebrows were raised when Chelsea signed the Spaniard. We weren’t sure whether his arrival was more in panic than part of a masterplan. With Alonso featuring in Chelsea’s last nine Premier League matches, it seems to be the latter. It’s helped that he has played at wing-back rather than left-back.

Since late September, only Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City have breached the Chelsea back line with a solitary goal each. In reply, Chelsea have scored 22 times against the teams they have faced.

At first they clawed their way back into the title conversation. Now we find them sitting out in front at the top of the table.

Conte’s side are playing football on the front foot. Seldom do they concede possession in their defensive third, and as a result, through playing higher up the pitch, they’re conceding fewer shots and therefore fewer goals.

With three at the back, it means those players in the traditional left- and right-back positions aren’t required to be as defensively sound as convention dictates—which is a good thing for Conte.

Moses has been a revelation because of his attacking instincts. He operates his flank with one thing in mind: to maintain a high line in order to push opponents back. He and Alonso aren’t pinned back enough for their defensive frailties to cost Chelsea games.

That said, against Spurs and City, both he and Alonso were caught out at times. From a defensive position, it showed a frailty in Conte’s setup.

The point is, however, that teams have to work so hard to expose Alonso and Moses that they can’t sustain it and be effective over the course of 90 minutes. As much as Spurs and City highlighted the problem, they equally demonstrated the difficulty in punishing it effectively.

Which brings us back to Rahman, a man famed for his effectiveness in the final third. In the season preceding his move to Stamford Bridge, he picked up four assists in 29 Bundesliga outings for Augsburg. It’s not at Cesc Fabregas levels, yet for a left-back, it is a stat hardly to be scoffed at.

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A big strength of Rahman’s game is attacking his opposite number, getting forward to provide width and balls into the box. Given the form we find Diego Costa in right now—the striker has 11 goals in 14 Premier League appearances—it hints at Rahman being a more effective asset than he’s been thus far in a Chelsea shirt.

We would be looking at him as an attacker, not a defender. It’s been the opposite of that perspective that has seen him much-maligned.

So why did Conte allow Rahman to leave when he did?

Chelsea’s plans shifted soon after he joined Schalke, which hints at some misfortune on Rahman’s part. The back-to-back defeats against Liverpool and Arsenal in September inflicted a sobering seven days when the manager had to reassess his principles and where he was taking this Chelsea side.

It gave Conte licence to adapt, to throw out the wisdom of old and bring about the sort of revolution Chelsea have been in desperate need of. Now Stamford Bridge is witnessing changes that aren’t just impacting the Blues but those clubs they face every week.

Teams are changing the way they play to combat Conte’s side. Thus far, not even the esteemed minds of Jose Mourinho, Mauricio Pochettino and Pep Guardiola have bettered them.

Moses and Alonso have been key in that. Indeed, they are key to it continuing. All the while, Rahman is watching on from the Bundesliga, probably marvelling like the rest of us at a system that was designed for players like him.

Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes.