Is Conte being too cagey for his own good?

Is Conte being too cagey for his own good?

When Tiemoué Bakayoko joined Chelsea in July last year, it was anticipated that the French midfield player would invigorate the team’s midfield performance. Unfortunately, that has not proved to be the case, and since leaving Monaco and donning the blue shirt, he has failed to impress.

The idea behind acquiring Bakayoko was that he would bring more bite to Chelsea, replacing Nemanja Matic who is regarded as not bringing enough fluidity between the back four and midfield. But since joining the club, the Frenchman has done little more than amble around on the pitch.

Where Chelsea fans wonder, is the player who was highly regarded as being the kingpin to Monaco’s success when he played for them? This does not seem to be the same man

Good for the goose isn’t always good for the gander

At Monaco, Bakayoko was well-known for the way he was able to break up the opposition’s attacks, come away with the ball and distribute it effectively. His contribution and excellence in changing possession of the ball was instrumental in the way Monaco dominated French football to win Ligue 1 last season. It was also key to Monaco working their way through to the semi-finals of the Champions League.

Reasons for Bakayoko’s poor showing

Since his departure, Monaco are not the same team, but for some reason, he has not displayed the prowess we know he is capable of at his new club. There are a number of possible explanations.

In May 2017, Bakayoko had surgery on his knee. The knee injury was known about long before his transfer to Chelsea, but the keyhole surgery he underwent was the reason behind his delayed appearance. When he did take the field for his first game against Spurs at Wembley in August 2017, Chelsea won 2-1.

It also seems to take ex Ligue 1 players a while to settle into Premiership football. Take Florian Thauvin who left Marseilles to join Newcastle, and Wahbi Khazri who left Rennes to go to Sunderland as examples. While these two players took time to settle in, they have now done so and are turning in good performances, while Bakayoko is still very inconsistent.

More to it than meets the eye

The puzzling thing, however, is why Chelsea manager, Antonio Conte, insists on playing him game after game when his form is so below par. Perhaps though, he has an ulterior motive. It is no great secret that Conte is very unhappy about his lack of input into acquisitions. It could well be that the manager is out to prove a point.

He needs to tread carefully though. He has 18-months of his current contract left. His first season was sensational with the Blues lifting the Premiership title. But this season is a very different kettle of fish, and the recent defeat by Arsenal when they knocked Chelsea out of the League Cup, will not have gone down well with the board, to say nothing about the supporter’s disappointment.

Don’t be too cagey Mr Conte

In a recent interview, Butch Wilkins, the old Chelsea favourite, made a point about the caginess of Italian coaches. This was said at the time with regard to not playing Willian Borges da Silva, or plain Willan, as he is more popularly known.

Willan has recently shown great form, but when he got injured in the recent match against Arsenal, Conte made a point of saying that he was unable to react due to the lack of attacking opportunities open to him. A not so subtle dig about his involvement in the transfer scene.

Cagey or not there are nonetheless rumblings about Conte’s future, and this has prompted the Italian to say publicly that he would like the board to give him a statement of support. Playing games by keeping Bakayoko in the team may not prove such a good strategy.