Key Takeaways
Antonio Conte led Chelsea to a dominant Premier League title in his first season (2016-2017).
Conte's strategic shift to a 3-4-2-1 formation was crucial to their success.
His second season was marked by struggles, leading to his departure despite an FA Cup win.
Chelsea's new era under Todd Boehly hasn't got off to a great start. Despite a record breaking spending spree across multiple transfer windows, the squad is now filled with a mix of new players that have failed to live up to expectations and old players that have drastically dipped in form. The upcoming transfer window will be their most crucial to date under Boehly, as Chelsea will have to properly rebuild their squad to reclaim their position as one of the best in Europe. In this article we will be looking at Antonio Conte's time as Chelsea manager. It was under him that Chelsea won their final League title in the Abramovich Era. Let us look at how Conte worked his magic in the Premier League and turned the Blues into Champions.
Formation and starting line-up at Chelsea
It is a widely known fact Conte is a manager who prefers a 3 man defensive system, yet the Italian began his stint at Chelsea with a 4-1-4-1 formation. It wasn't quite a surprise though, as Premier League teams weren't traditionally using a back 3 formation at the time. However, 2 major defeats against the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool made Conte change the team's formation. He went to a 3-4-2-1 system, which had his preferred 3 man defense.
The team had Thibaut Courtois in goal, with César Azpilicueta , David Luiz, and Gary Cahill in front of him. N'Golo Kante and Nemanja Matić were the 2 central midfielders, with Victor Moses and Marcos Alonso being the wingback. Chelsea's attacking trio included Eden Hazard and Pedro or Willian as the outside forwards, with Diego Costa as the main striker.
A dominating first season at Chelsea
Antonio Conte's arrival at Chelsea was marked with a brilliant start to the season, with the blues winning their first match of the season 2-1 against West Ham. What followed was a brilliant club-record 11 consecutive league victories for Chelsea. This record was further extended to 13, which equalled Arsenal's 2002 record for most consecutive league wins in a single season. The winning streak came to an end in the following match, as Tottenham beat Chelsea 2-0.
By the time of January, Conte became the first manager in history to win three consecutive Premier League Manager of the Month awards (October, November and December). A 1-0 victory against West Brom on May 12th secured the 2016-2017 Premier League title. This was followed by a a 5–1 home win over Sunderland on 21st May, which saw Chelsea set a new Premier League record for the most wins in a single season, with 30 league victories out of 38 league matches. The season was over, as Conte's first year with the club was nothing short of absolute domination.
A completely contrasting second season
Conte's magnificent first season with Chelsea saw him sign a new contract with the club. However, his second season with the club ended up being his last.
Chelsea's 2017-2018 Premier League season was nothing short of a disaster. Especially considering the high expectations that everyone had on them after their dominating League title win in the previous season. Chelsea finished the season in 5th place, missing out on Champions League football. To make matters worse, Conte was also sent to the stands for the first time in his Chelsea career during the season for arguing with the fourth official in a home match against Swansea City on 29 November 2017.
Chelsea still managed to win silverware that season, as they beat Manchester United 1-0 in the 2018 FA Cup final. Conte was eventually sacked as Chelsea manager on 13 July 2018 and was replaced by Maurizio Sarri.
Conte's stint at Chelsea was nothing short of a wild ride. It saw the club get the best of both worlds. At his best, Chelsea reaped the benefits, while things certainly turned ugly when the coach wasn't having things go away. Despite a sad ending to his tenure as Chelsea, Conte's time at Chelsea was undoubtedly a memorable one.
👉 Want to relive the greatest moments in Blues history? Check out our detailed breakdown of the Chelsea FC All-Time Best XI and see if your favorite legends made the cut!
