How Antonio Conte changed English football

After two years at Stamford Bridge, Antonio Conte’s rollercoaster spell in England is over. He won the title in his first season with Chelsea, before finishing a turbulent second campaign with an FA Cup title to his name.

Conte’s sacking came as no surprise. It was clear throughout last season that he wasn’t happy at the club, and had fallen out with the board. This doesn’t make his time at the club a failure, in fact it was quite the opposite. He took a team that had finished 10th the previous season, all the way to the title, and after a difficult summer, won the FA Cup in his second, and last season.

In the past year, he has fallen out with the club’s board, mainly over transfer activity. There was anger over how he dealt with Diego Costa, as the Spaniard was informed by text that he was no longer in his plans. He then didn’t get the players he wanted to sign, most notably Romelu Lukaku, who eventually moved to Manchester United.

But what he has done at Chelsea is very impressive. When he joined the club, he was joining one that had played 4-2-3-1 for many years, and played it successfully. It wasn’t something that worked out when he first moved to Stamford Bridge though, and after consecutive defeats to Liverpool and Arsenal, Conte made a change.

He switched to a 3-4-3 formation, which had an immediate impact. They won a club-record 13 straight games after the change, keeping clean sheets in all of the first six. It was a big change. John Terry was left out the team, Cesar Azpilicueta moved into cente back, and Victor Moses and Marcos Alonso were installed as wing-backs.

In that formation, Chelsea eased to the title, sealing it with two games left. It wasn’t just a change for Chelsea, it was a change for the whole Premier League.

In the 2017 FA Cup final, Chelsea played Arsenal, with both sides lining up with three at the back. That can’t have happened many times. Last season, at least eight teams played a system with three at the back on at least three or four occasions. I think it’s safe to say it will have been a long time since that last happened. It isn’t just the Premier League either. Wolves ran away with the Championship last season playing 3-4-3.

It has also changed the way the game has been played in England. There was a point when wingers looked like they were going out the game, and the majority of teams were going with players on either flank who were more likely to cut inside. Playing three at the back has bought into play wing-backs who hug the touchline and open the play up a little bit.

The biggest change though has come with the England national team. It hasn’t been seen for years, but Gareth Southgate has now got them playing three at the back as well. This is something that now looks set to stay in place, especially after their World Cup campaign, that saw them reach the semi-final for the first time since 1990.

Gareth Southgate

It seems that although Conte’s time in England his over, his influence will remain for a while yet.