Long-Standing Issues Have Put Antonio Conte in Deep Trouble at Chelsea

On Saturday, for the first time since he took over at Chelsea, there was a sense of anger about Antonio Conte. It wasn’t so much what he said in his post-match press-conference after the 3-0 humbling at Arsenal as the way he said it, eyes flashing with barely suppressed fury. “I have to solve the situation,” he said. “The situation is that, every game, we concede minimum three goals.” He knows these are critical times.

The details may not be accurate, but the spirit is. Chelsea may have been unfortunate to let in two in the draw away at Swansea, but since then they have leaked two against Liverpool and three against Arsenal in the league and two against Leicester in the EFL Cup.

Since John Terry injured his ankle—he is not expected to be fit for Saturday’s game against Hull City—Chelsea’s defence has fallen apart.

The temptation would be to blame David Luiz, who arrived to widespread surprise on the final day of the transfer window. The immediate implication was that he was not Conte’s man. He had wanted an experienced and mobile central defender, and as other attempted signings fell through, the club ended up going for the devil they knew. That hints at wider issues with recruitment, but Luiz hasn’t been the most culpable figure in the past three games.

Branislav Ivanovic has lumbered about as he did in the early weeks of last season—at 32, he is seemingly too old and slow to operate at full-back.

Without Terry, Cahill has seemed diminished. Confidence has crumbled to the point that against Leicester in the League Cup, every cross seemed to provoke panic. The first Leicester goal was absurd, as Chelsea’s defence dealt with a simple ball into the box like astronauts grasping at wet soap in zero gravity. In his absence, Terry’s importance has become shockingly clear.

That represents a major problem for Conte. When it seemed last season that Terry might not be offered a new contract, there was a logic to offloading him. He will turn 36 in December. He is, as the banner in the Matthew Harding Stand has it, a “captain, leader, legend.” The process of cutting him loose …

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