History tells us the Chelsea side that won last season’s title, without any significant chances, won’t be able to defend it next time around. In fact, no Premier League side has successfully retained the English crown since Manchester United in 2009.
Whilst that’s an enormous endorsement of the sheer competitiveness of the English top flight these days, it’s also a trend that can’t be ignored; the fact of the matter is quite simply that if you don’t change up you become too predictable. The rest of the league identifies your weaknesses and the five other sides capable of winning the title in any given season have the quality to exploit them.
Thus, it’s integral Antonio Conte changes the dynamics of his Chelsea side this summer to turn it back into somewhat of an unknown quantity – just as they were last season when the Italian’s introduction of 3-4-3 had the rest of the division scratching its collective head.
That explains why Conte was quick to ditch Diego Costa at the start of the summer, and why he’s become frustrated with limited transfer activity thus far.
Pleasingly for Conte, however, Chelsea have now reportedly agreed a fee with Monaco for midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko – a signing who, in addition to offering long-term quality at the tender age of 22, will be essential to changing the emphasis of the Blues’ engine room to something more daring and dynamic, stepping in for Nemanja Matic.
No doubt, Matic is a fantastic player; one of the most physically imposing midfielders in Europe and up there with the best enforcers in the Premier League – he’ll still be an important member of Chelsea’s squad next season and especially for the big games.
But he became increasingly expendable in Conte’s thoughts as the 2016/17 season went on, Cesc Fabregas opted for instead during the closing stages of the campaign, and whilst the Serbian international is about as solid as it gets – he also enjoyed his most effective season going forward last term with seven assists – Bakayoko represents greater fluidity, movement and speed.
In many senses, Matic and Bakayoko are similar kinds of players. Both have the height to be effective in the air, the power and the defensive nous to protect those behind them and the quality on the ball to dictate the pace of the game from deep-lying positions. At first glance, the change in Chelsea’s midfield is relatively marginal.
But the subtle difference is highlighted in Bakayoko’s dribbles per match last season – 1.8 compared to Matic’s 0.8 and accordingly, 1.7 fouls won per match compared to 0.7.
In that regard, Bakayoko is a little more direct and Yaya-Toure-esque – a player he’s often compared to – not only capable of winning the ball but also driving forward with it, committing defenders and careering up the pitch on the break. In a nutshell, for turning defence into attack – as Chelsea did so effectively last season with the most counter-attacking goals and most successful dribbles of any Premier League side – Bakayoko is the ideal midfielder.
“Bakayoko is an imposing figure in midfield – and while he used to be slender in his youth, he’s grown into an athlete of great physical prowess.
“He’s quick, reads the game well, makes a lot of interceptions and is stong in the tackle, while he can also build play with his quality passing and good dribbling skills. It’s easy to see why comparisons with Toure abound.”
Michael Yokhin on Bakayoko’s strengths, FourFourTwo June 2017
Although it remains to be seen quite how that works alongside N’Golo Kante, another defensive-minded yet dynamic midfielder whose talent is only fully maximised when allowed to use his energy offensively as well, the thought of the Frenchmen operating together is a frightfully exciting one.
Chelsea will now have two central midfielders incredibly competent defensively who can both burst forward with speed and instigate attacks from defensive situations.
In a two-man engine room amid a league in which most teams employ three central midfielders, that kind of dynamism is vital. It also suits how Conte wants his side to play perfectly.
Of course, expecting a 22-year-old alone to bring something so new and fresh to reigning champions that they’ll buck an eight-year Premier League trend is asking too much.
It may well take Bakayoko time to settle at Stamford Bridge, with Matic potentially starting next season until the France international is acclimatised, and even if he hits the ground running, that’s still just one department of the team. Added to defensive acquisition Antonio Rudiger, that’s only two.
But the underlying importance of Bakayoko is how he changes the emphasis in his area of the pitch, offering a different kind of threat and making Chelsea that touch more unpredictable for the 19 clubs who will all be looking to claim a scalp in the form of the reigning champions next season.
Whereas the English top flight knows what they’re getting from Matic, quite how and when Bakayoko will change this Chelsea side remains a matter of debate.
That uncertainty can only work in the Blues’ favour as the title rivals gear up for 2017/18.
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