This day, last year. The passes were getting stuck in the grass. Men weren't getting forward. Chelsea was in the bottom half of the league table, out of the Champions League, and without a proper manager: The Special One had, finally, failed. Diego Costa was at his boorish worst; Eden Hazard, once boasting of CR7/Messi-like potential, had lost his way. Football at the Bridge sucked.
The summer was strange as it didn't bring an overhaul. No major buys, the new manager was a relatively unknown face, and there was little change in fortunes. The results went Win-Win-Win-Draw-Loss-Loss. The losses came against top quality teams, Liverpool and Arsenal. The 3-0 defeat at Arsenal on 24th September should have been much worse! But something changed that day...
Chelsea are now on a 13-Game Winning-Streak. Tactically, they changed from a 4-1-4-1 to a 3-4-3, and Conte has been hailed a tactical genius. I'll tell you what else he is: a genius a mental management.
The players are the same, the grounds are the same, the league and the fans are the same, but the game is so different. The animal in Costa has been unleashed; he roars as he smashes the back of the net. Hazard runs the wing-backs ragged, before cutting in and curling a delightful shot from outside the box. Matic and Cesc are back from the dead.
Can this change of fortune be attributed to tactics alone? Does 3-4-3 make Chelsea a winning team, or is Chelsea a winning team that plays 3-4-3? The energy at the bridge is unbelievably positive; right now, they could win playing 2-5-1-2 or 5-2-2-1 or some other phone-number type formation.
The tactical switch was essential to generate the positive vibe, to make good players believe they are great. And in that belief, the game has been won. Manchester United under Sir Alex was a team that excelled at winning the game in the mind long before they had their first attempt on goal. Great teams are built on incredible confidence, positive energy, and - of course - great amounts of hard-work and skill.
The summer was strange as it didn't bring an overhaul. No major buys, the new manager was a relatively unknown face, and there was little change in fortunes. The results went Win-Win-Win-Draw-Loss-Loss. The losses came against top quality teams, Liverpool and Arsenal. The 3-0 defeat at Arsenal on 24th September should have been much worse! But something changed that day...
Chelsea are now on a 13-Game Winning-Streak. Tactically, they changed from a 4-1-4-1 to a 3-4-3, and Conte has been hailed a tactical genius. I'll tell you what else he is: a genius a mental management.
The players are the same, the grounds are the same, the league and the fans are the same, but the game is so different. The animal in Costa has been unleashed; he roars as he smashes the back of the net. Hazard runs the wing-backs ragged, before cutting in and curling a delightful shot from outside the box. Matic and Cesc are back from the dead.
Can this change of fortune be attributed to tactics alone? Does 3-4-3 make Chelsea a winning team, or is Chelsea a winning team that plays 3-4-3? The energy at the bridge is unbelievably positive; right now, they could win playing 2-5-1-2 or 5-2-2-1 or some other phone-number type formation.
The tactical switch was essential to generate the positive vibe, to make good players believe they are great. And in that belief, the game has been won. Manchester United under Sir Alex was a team that excelled at winning the game in the mind long before they had their first attempt on goal. Great teams are built on incredible confidence, positive energy, and - of course - great amounts of hard-work and skill.
But energy is the key. Without it, you're nothing. With it, everything is suddenly within your reach. Here's hoping you unleash that energy in 2017. Cheers.
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