Antonio Conte has been speaking following Chelsea`s thrilling 3-3 draw with Roma in Group C of this season`s Champions League qualification program. With a list of increasing injury issues, Conte chose to switch to a 3-5-2 formation,moving David Luiz from defence into a midfield role.
It looked like a good move as the Brazilian fired his side in front with just 11 minutes gone. As the Italian side began to dominate Luiz was forced further back. Speaking to Italian media outlet Mediaset Premium and reported in football-italia.net Conte believed the system was a failure.
`We suffered in the first half and the decision to change system didn`t pay off, as it took away all our guarantees. We were basically improvising and it showed, as we suffered under Roma`s pressing.`
`We scored two goals, but the sensation was always that we didn`t feel in control of the match. I have to take responsibility, as it was my decision to change the system to make up for the lack of options. I changed the David Luiz position to strengthen the midfield and I don`t think it worked, to be honest.`
Luiz was taken off early in the second half as a precaution following a slight calf strain and replaced by Pedro. Despite his misgivings about the formation change, the Italian was pleased with the performance his players put in.
`Despite all that, we drew with a very good Roma side and I can only praise my players. When you change system, it`s all improvisation and tonight we were improvising. That is something I don`t like, because I prefer organisation and to fight it out in our own way.`
`I have to thank my players for their efforts, because without that, we would not have managed a point here.`
Although Conte has misgivings about Luiz as a midfielder, with some more work , it`s a role that ought to be utilised more often by the manager. Luiz can be a defensive liability at times, and while Chelsea are short on numbers in the middle of the pitch, Conte should persevere with the possibility.
Share this article
