da blaze casino： Chelsea travel to Wembley this weekend to face Manchester United in the FA Cup final, which could well prove to be the final game of Antonio Conte’s Blues career.
da marjack bet： Rumours of an end-of-season departure have persisted for some time, and they haven’t been helped by a fifth-placed finish in the Premier League with the west Londoners missing out on Champions League football for 2018/19.
Should that prove to be the case, Conte will want to exit his Chelsea spell on a high with two trophies in two years. In order to do that though, he’ll need to find the right answers to these key questions…
Who starts at the heart of defence?
Romelu Lukaku’s ending his first season at United with an incredibly strong run, providing either a goal or an assist in 15 of his last 21 appearances across all competitions. His FA Cup record is fantastic too – five in five for the Red Devils – and Chelsea experienced first-hand during the 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford earlier this season how devastating the towering Belgian can be, playing a hand in both goals.
While stopping the one-time Blues youngster will be a job for the entire of the back three, the central slot remains the key role and probably the only one that’s still up for contention, with Cesar Azpilicueta and Antonio Rudiger making the right and left centre-half berths their own.
And it’s a straight tossup between experience and promising potential. Andreas Christensen has been one of the biggest hits of the season at Stamford Bridge, but there’s a reason Conte’s turned to Cahill for the business end of the campaign. Cahill’s that little bit more physical and vastly more experienced in big games, which could be key at Wembley on Saturday, but Christensen can bring real calmness and composure to the defence.
How can Chelsea stop Paul Pogba?
Paul Pogba may have endured his fair share of critics this season but the Frenchman is ending the campaign with something of a purple patch, triggered by that stunning brace to reverse the tide in the most recent Manchester derby.
That showed how decisive the controversial midfielder can be in big games against elite opposition and although there’s still an obvious inconsistency to Pogba, Chelsea must be prepared for a Pogba in the mood to take the FA Cup final by the scruff of the neck.
With Nemanja Matic just behind him too, that could require matching power for power in the middle of the park – perhaps dropping Cesc Fabregas for Tiemoue Bakayoko, or playing three central midfielders rather than a 3-4-3. Bakayoko could well be the key man in that. He’s been heavily criticised this season but is similar to Pogba in style and has the natural physicality to match him in the middle of the park.
3-5-2 or 3-4-3?
Chelsea’s system has become something of a hybrid between both formations, with one of the central midfielders in a 3-5-2 pushing forward to make it more of a front three. But whichever formation Chelsea start with on paper does dictate the tone of the team and the personnel involved, which is perhaps the crux of the dilemma.
Over the last few weeks, Conte’s varied between Bakayoko’s power and Willian’s exceptional counter-attacking ability, so it becomes a question of whether the Brazilian should once again be sacrificed for the sake of greater defensive solidity.
Perhaps the strongest argument against that is how effective Willian was in the defeat to Old Trafford, linking up with Eden Hazard to score Chelsea’s only goal. The Belgian maestro is a talismanic talent, but when playing behind a single front-man he can become isolated at times, given a little too much to do. Willian would give him another key out-ball.
Giroud or Morata?
Recent form suggests Olivier Giroud will start up front, with Alvaro Morata still struggling to justify his club-record price-tag. The Frenchman has proved a useful foil for Hazard and is Chelsea’s top scorer from their last six games across all competitions, netting thrice.
That being said, the January signing’s record against Manchester United isn’t the strongest – just two goals and no assists in twelve games – and his powerful, lofty frame may not be hugely effective against the Red Devils’ defenders. Chris Smalling, Phil Jones and Eric Bailly all enjoy the physical battle and are pretty strong in the air, which effectively cancels out what Giroud brings to this Chelsea team.
The alternative, Morata, offers better threat in behind. But he’s scored just three goals for Chelsea in 2018 and struggles to bring the attacking midfielders into the game in the same way as Giroud. It’s a tough call for Conte, but one that could have the biggest impact on Saturday’s scoreline.
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