Chelsea are bombarding their opponents in all spheres and Manchester City were the latest victims last week as the London outfit cruised to a 1-3 win at the Etihad Stadium to leave Pep Guardiola with a lasting sombre feeling which was compounded with the draw against Celtic.
Eight wins on the trot have not only made Chelsea a sure-shot title contender but have also given a breathing space to their stalwarts who were under intense scrutiny of the pundits and fans alike after a dismal start to their season.
Tactical modifications were the call of the hour post the humiliation at the hands of Arsenal in the London Derby, and Antonio Conte wasn’t late to address the issues. A 3-4-3 formation was implemented with the perennially unfavoured winger in the shape of Victor Moses was given a green light and unarguably, this very move has shifted the blighted career of the Nigerian international head over heels.
The 25-year-old has progressed in an unprecedented manner in the new regime at Chelsea. The Blues have been employing two out-and-out wingers, thus implying that both of them must be offensive eye-catchy and thoroughly resilient in catering to the defensive duties.
Despite being signed by Chelsea in 2012, not a single Chelsea manager since then could grind any output out from Moses until Conte took over the hot-seat. Rather than being tried and tested adequately, he was shipped to Liverpool, Stoke City and West Ham United on loan in all the three seasons prior to this one. One must ponder on this topic, isn’t it?
It is astonishing indeed to witness a player, who was available only on the books of Chelsea’s loaned out players’ list, make such a remarkable entry all of a sudden in the starting line-up of the side despite not being on the periphery of it for such a long time.
Moses is probably a dividend of Conte’s new system but again, his attitude, work ethic and knack to beat the best has been exemplary indeed. The former Italy manager has primarily focussed on two strengths of Moses: dribbling ability and his work-rate. The results, however, have been much more than that.
From being a fringe employee, Moses has been a revelation in this new looking Chelsea side with his ability to make fearless runs up the pitch, has been stretching the opponents defence exceptionally well, has been very direct in his approach and more than anything else, he has been proving an undeniably sharp attacking tooth from the wings. In 13 league appearances so far, Moses has registered as many as 3 goals and has created 9 chances to prove his validity on the side.
Defensively speaking, he has been reliant, omnipresent and hasn’t overcommitted himself forward to ensure that the three at the back aren’t exposed. At times, he as well as Marcos Alonso have dropped deep to form a five-man defensive wall to reflect the stamina he has worked with so far this season.
It is still early to make a conclusion but there has been a dramatic shift in the fortunes of Victor Moses and without any shadow of a doubt, the south-west London-based side would be relying heavily on their out-and-out winger in their quest of reclaiming domestic glory.
Statistics Credits: Squawka
