Antonio Conte’s three-man defence at Chelsea requires certain aspects of the team to be perfect, and one of those are filled by the two wing-backs. Playing as a wing-back is one of football’s difficult tasks, proving why it is so hard to find naturally gifted players for that position as it needs an equal amount of quality in both attack and defence.
But as Chelsea are charging towards their fourth Premier League title in Conte’s very first season at the club, they’ve found a man that they can rely on – Victor Moses.
Victor Moses: Chelsea’s Renaissance Man
The Nigerian’s emergence for the London club this season has come as a bit of a surprise considering he was tipped by many to be wearing another shirt at the start of this season. Before Conte arrived at the club, Moses had made just 44 appearances for the club since 2012, with all but one coming in their Europa League-winning campaign in 2012-13 under Roberto Di Matteo and Rafael Benítez.
And to add to that, it is no surprise to see Conte play his three-at-the-back formation considering it earned him so many titles and such a fine reputation at Juventus and as the head coach of the Italian national team. However, many predicted another man to fill up that void.
Juan Cuadrado had gone through a similar tale and had experience playing as a full-back and a winger, expected to be the answer to Conte’s demands before Juventus decided to take him back on a three-season loan deal.
Nevertheless, praise should be heaped for the way Victor Moses has handled himself in this new, unconventional role which has been a masterstroke by his manager, who sees him as an influential figure in the first-team setup. With star striker Diego Costa continuing to rack up the goals, Eden Hazard playing with implausible freedom and N’Golo Kanté covering every blade of grass on any football pitch he steps foot upon, it wasn’t before Moses’ introduction that the side really started clicking.
The start of success
Chelsea’s 3-0 away defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium initiated Conte’s experimenting with a 3-4-3 formation and they have not looked back since. Moses has always been a keen dribbler, especially in one-on-one situations. That skill was what forced Chelsea to buy him from Wigan Athletic in 2012.
He and Marcos Alonso on the opposite wing have had two contrasting tales, with his 44 dribbles being nearly four times more than that of his Spanish team-mate. The team may look like they are set up to perform in identical fashion, but out on the pitch, they have two different responsibilities. Only Eden Hazard, who’s always a mazy dribbler, and forward Diego Costa have completed more dribbles for the Blues this season than Victor Moses.
He’s also been a brilliant asset to the rest of his team-mates, helping Pedro Rodriguez shine in a more advanced role this season after a relatively poor first campaign in England last year. And while there are obvious frontrunners for the end-of-season awards, Moses could, rather unsurprisingly, be one to fight for the top honours – something no one could possibly have imagined in August of 2016.
“When I decided to change the system, I wanted to try him in this role, to work with him in a different situation, and he showed me great commitment to understand and to study the new role, above all in defensive situations. Now we have a complete player, offensively and defensively.” – Antonio Conte
In Monday evening’s 2-1 away success for Chelsea at London rivals West Ham United, Moses proved how important he is and how he is a key cog in Chelsea’s title charge. West Ham, themselves former employers of the 26-year-old when he was with them on loan last season, saw exactly what they were missing in an excellent 74-minute display by Moses.
He was always threatening the right flank, keeping Aaron Cresswell on his toes for most of the game and having Robert Snodgrass under pressure while he was on the attack. But arguably his best action in the game came in the second half when a shot from Sofiane Feghouli was blocked and cleared away in what seemed destined to go into the net, thus protecting Chelsea’s two-goal advantage at the Olympic Stadium.
Eden Hazard and Diego Costa’s goals proved to be the difference, but Moses’ contributions deserved equally as much attention.
The future ahead
The man seemed like an outcast at the start of the season, but has eventually grown into his role and is one to keep an eye out for every time the league leaders step onto a football pitch. He won the PFA’s Player of the Month award in November 2016, only his second whole month of playing in his unfamiliar role and signed a new contract just last week at a reported £75 000-a-week.
Defiant and buoyed by a new dimension added to his game, Victor Moses is a player rejuvenated by the change of management at Stamford Bridge.
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