Chelsea struggled to get going in the early months of last season but turned their fortune around when Antonio Conte masterminded a switch to a three-man defence, which saw the Blues storm to Premier League glory.
Conte brought in the likes of Victor Moses and Marcos Alonso from the shadows to be superstars in their own right, whilst the formation also brought the best out of the entire defence, midfield and attack.
However, Chelsea face a much more difficult task retaining their Premier League crown this season, especially following their wealth of departures, and the Italian boss could find things to be problematic if he doesn’t find a Plan B.
It’s no secret that Chelsea experienced a decline of form towards the back-end of last season, with Tottenham Hotspur closing the gap in the title race, and the Blues were fortunate that they had already established a comfortable margin at the top of the table.
Conte’s side was then undone in the FA Cup final against Arsenal, who countered Chelsea’s three-man defence with a back trio of their own and enjoyed a dominating display, and the Blues hardly put in a convincing performance in the Community Shield defeat to the same opponents on Sunday.
Everyone wants to beat the Premier League champions and Chelsea will have to cope with that threat this season, as well as competing on the European front with a side that lacks significant depth in key-areas.
Conte has a reputation for being a superb tactician and he needs to show that this season, adjusting and tweaking his tactics in case things are not working or setting-up in an entirely different manner for certain games during the season.
The Blues can easily adjust to a back-four should the need arise, whilst their midfield numbers are also versatile and Eden Hazard showed he can be utilised as a central-striker last season, though the expectation is that Michy Batshuayi will step-up his performances.
Chelsea need their fringe players to enjoy a fine campaign this season, namely Batshuayi and Cesc Fabregas, especially due to the lack of depth- which means that Chelsea could be stretched at certain stages of the campaign when involvement in Europe takes it’s toll on the squad.