Antonio Conte may arrive at Chelsea too late to implement his style early on

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Patrick Barclay16 June 2016

Chelsea fans will be looking for further clues to the future when Antonio Conte’s Italy team play Sweden tomorrow. They could hardly have been more encouraged by the Azzurri’s opening match, a cracking 2-0 win over Belgium — and for all the defiance Zlatan Ibrahimovic exudes, they will certainly be favoured to stride into the round of 16.

They could go far. Which is not entirely good news for Chelsea, who want Conte’s hands on their players as soon as possible. But organising a national side means operating in a great hurry — sometimes after months of inactivity — and since moving from club football Conte has proved he can do it. ‘Intensity’ could be his middle name; every player you ask about him says it.

But what will we see? The obvious different characteristic of his Italy side — and the Juventus teams he steered to three titles — is that Conte uses a basic 3-5-2. Only younger Stamford Bridge regulars will find this novel, for Glenn Hoddle employed the formation there, initially with himself as sweeper, to such good effect that he was appointed England manager. He then had England playing that way.

Whether Conte will reinstall 3-5-2 at the Bridge is uncertain. What he has done with Juventus and Italy is play to his strengths: in each case a back three of Giorgio Chiellini, Andrea Barzagli and Leonardo Bonucci, reinforced by the intelligent goalkeeping of Gianluigi Buffon. They have a total age of 134 years and six months now, so it is fair to say Conte is getting out of Italy at the right time.

If John Terry had been born a few years later, he would have been ideal in the Chiellini role as leader of a three-man defence. John Stones, a long-time Chelsea target, could perform it in a different, more exciting, way. The question is whether even such a workaholic as Conte could change things so radically in time for the Premier League kick-off, so he may start with good old-fashioned 4-4-2.

But 3-5-2 will surely be in his thoughts. One advantage is that it allows you a pair of strikers without the risk of being outnumbered in midfield. You could call it a disadvantage that everyone has to work as hard as Italy did against the Belgians, with wing-backs pumping up and down and at least two midfielders box-to-box, but Conte never promised an easy ride.

No wonder interest in his arrival is — how can I put it? — intense.

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