London – Chelsea’s domestic campaign ended on a sour note, with last Saturday’s 2-1 FA Cup final defeat to Arsenal denying Antonio Conte the double in his first campaign at Stamford Bridge. But it is Conte who has been Chelsea’s superstar this season and his decision to switch from 4-3-3 to 3-
London – Regardless of the result, this felt like a fitting end to the campaign – a match between two sides lining up with a three-man defense. It had, of course, been a 3-0 defeat at the Emirates in September which encouraged Antonio Conte to switch to his 3-4-3 system, and then Chelsea’s ast
London – Three-man Defences Unquestionably the Premier League’s dominant tactical trend was the three-man defence. A remarkable 17 of the 20 sides started with a back three at some point in the season, with only Southampton, West Bromwich and Burnley doggedly sticking to a back four. Its overw
London – José Mourinho’s Manchester United are not the first side to defeat Antonio Conte’s Chelsea or even the first side to defeat Conte’s Chelsea since their season-changing switch to 3-4-3 back in October but no other side has nullified Chelsea’s attacking threats so effectively. This was
