N’Golo Kante’s absence has exposed Tiemoue Bakayoko

                       

Chelsea took a gamble this summer. After a dominant title win, they elected to sell, or just plain ditch, three cornerstones of their recent successes. Inspirational and vocal leader John Terry was released; part-time goalscorer, part-time wind-up merchant Diego Costa was exiled; and, most decisively of all, midfield controller Nemanja Matic was sold to a rival. When evolution was required, they instead enacted revolution – and it appears to be backfiring. Perhaps, had N’Golo Kante not got injured, Chelsea’s issues both on the field and off it would be rather less pronounced. Instead, the club have fallen nine points adrift of early pace-setters Manchester City, while a Champions League campaign that began so promisingly has been brought back down to earth with a resounding thump by Roma. At the same time, Antonio Conte gets more and more frayed.

                                    

Admittedly exaggerated by two disastrous defensive showings against the Giallorossi, Chelsea have conceded 14 goals in their last eight games and recorded just a single clean sheet. Across their last four league matches – and despite playing the 19th and 20th placed sides – they have mustered just three more shots on target than they have faced. Over the same period, City have had 25 more shots on target than their opponents. They are neither defending as resolutely as last season, nor attacking as cohesively. They have lost that elusive quality: balance. It is not normally something you can put a price on, except Chelsea did when they allowed Matic to join United for £40m.

                            

There has been a degree of revisionism about that decision. At the time, it looked like Chelsea were upgrading the position in the shape of Tiemoue Bakayoko, buying a younger and more dynamic version of a player that was showing the first signs of decline. A few months later, it is being described as the worst decision ever made in the Premier League era by a flabbergasted Phil Neville. The truth is probably somewhere in between, and Kante’s absence has certainly exaggerated the problem. Trying to tweak and rejuvenate arguably the best midfield pairing in the Premier League is hard enough, but it is impossible without the stand-out player of the last two campaigns.

                                 

Conte has tried a few things in his absence, though none have really worked. A straight swap has not had the required effect, while the tactic of shifting to a 3-5-2 and playing three central midfielders is a weak compromise. He understandably feels the need to add an extra body – after all, having Kante often felt like playing with 12 men – but that just results in fielding more players that don’t quite do what he wants. Cesc Fabregas, while wonderfully creative, is too slow and immobile – especially in a midfield two, and especially in Conte’s system, which is particularly demanding of the midfielders. He takes a few too many risks in possession, trying boom-or-bust passes – which is probably why he was used largely in an impact role when Chelsea needed inspiration during Conte’s first season.