Conte’s South West 6 World - What’s Not To Like?

If they should read this, no doubt bookies countrywide will immediately stop taking bets on bola giving the daftest of definitive answers to my headline enquiry, but I’ll have an odds-on wager that it’s pretty much a rhetorical question for the rest of us after the weekend we‘ve all had. Can’t wait to see Kante gun down his previous employers repeatedly? Like the idea of having deadly Diego on your side, then leading the line in true baddie fashion, ably supported by a good guy named Hazard who causes last-third havoc at Leicester Gulch like no other can? Fancy some fun and games with Geezer as he crashes a free kick against the woodwork one minute, then misses a bicycled effort by a clear foot ‘n a half the next? - I know g4 is already booking early for his repeat performance of these events, such was the rollercoaster excitement generated. And yet, even more exhilarating was the Conte late-late show, that three-kid card trick we’ve all been waiting for, bar bola of course, who found the trio's arrival depressingly samey for some unaccountable reason. Still, whatever floats his boat I suppose, and I’m sure he’ll be back at Conte’s South West 6 World soon enough… just for different reasons.     

But in the meantime and rather fittingly, it was to be Moses and Chalobah who took us into that Promised Land where we‘ve longed to be, where battle-hardened loanees meld in a moment of magic to produce a wonderful goal for their parent club, the assist part provided by the first of the three Academy players to be set before us in the latter stages of a memorable match by a suitably proud father-figure in the dugout. Indeed, Antonio Conte deserves much praise for sticking to what looked to me like a prepared speech in substitutions, one that he’d been dying to make and not even a desperate [to come off] Diego could dissuade him from delivering. It was, quite simply, a massive statement of future intent. Okay, you can expect the hypercritical to hint at the Italian displaying little faith in Michy Batshuayi by continuing with Costa regardless, but I prefer to see the subbing in a totally different light - in order to get all three Academy kids on the pitch Diego had to put up with a full 90 minute work load - and the boss summed it up perfectly in a curt aftermath comment “I make the decisions,” followed by the olive branch additional explanation that he did not want to remove Costa’s passion from his team.

However, all this post match pampering pales into insignificance when you consider the bigger picture and the overall impact the game will have on Chelsea for the rest of the season. Make no mistake, this was Conte’s real beginning in the Premier League and the performance bore all the authoritarian hallmarks of his old Juventus side and the tactical class of his Italy team. On this occasion those tactics focused on destroying Leicester from the flanks with our wing-backs, a hugely impressive Marcos Alonso and a rampant Victor Moses staying high and wide and hitting early crossfield balls. With wing work duly sorted Edin had the freedom to drift centrally, causing mayhem in the Leicester ranks. In short, it may have taken eight games to get there, but yesterday saw three at the back well and truly installed as our defensive set-up of choice. 

No coincidence then, that we have not conceded a goal using Don Antonio’s favourite system, and as an added bonus key players have been released by its implementation. Edin Hazard gets to come inside and use that deadly space behind the striker, while Victor Moses revels in the sheer expanse of it on the flanks. Add to this Kante’s ability to seemingly play both No 6 and No 8 roles at the same time, plus the [hoped-for] emergence of David Luiz as the accomplished central sweeper in the three, and there you have the ideal recipe for a successful season and beyond. Little wonder the boss felt confident enough to eulogise Academy-wise afterwards, marking everyone’s card with regard to his own pedigree for developing talent to the point of readiness and ultimate selection…

“I know we have a fantastic academy, I know that behind Chalobah, Loftus-Cheek, Aina and Solanke we have other young players. Chalobah is deserving to play and people who know me know I don’t gift a place to anyone. If they’re ready I put them in. I had my first appearance in Serie A at only 16 years [for Lecce against Pisa in 1986].”

Such is life, real or otherwise, there are bound to be those that fall by the wayside, but only the most hardened of human or resilient of robot keeps getting up, dusting themselves down, and going back out there to face the rigours to come - just ask Victor Moses if you want to know what all that feels like, especially immediately after you play a wall pass off a likeminded young professional before slotting home a sumptuous goal. Virtual reality it ain’t, hard graft it most definitely is, and well worth a somersault or two of celebration. So here’s to more of the same, please Antonio, because we’ve waited a while for all this to mesh into something resembling the dream ticket most fans buy into every time they get the train to Fulham Broadway and saunter on down to their own little South West 6 World - they may not be travelling on the Union Pacific Railroad, but at times, gol-darn it, it sure do feel like it!