Chelsea’s new formation has been exceptionally successful so far. Wins against Hull City and Leicester were topped off with a magnificent 4-0 win over Manchester United on Sunday. The new formation, featuring three centre backs with Marcos Alonso and Victor Moses as wing backs, has been key to Chelsea’s resurgent month.
But Antonio Conte needs to very careful with how this new formation suits his squad. If Marcos Alonso or Victor Moses were to sustain a serious injury, he would be in big trouble. Chelsea’s only cover at left-back is Ola Aina, a youth academy product who made his debut as a substitute against Leicester.
While Aina has a bright future ahead of him, it would be very risky to throw him as a first choice indefinitely in at this early stage of his career.
Equally, an injury at right back would see a return for Branislav Ivanovic to the Chelsea team. That would be an equally uncomfortable proposition for many Chelsea fans.