3 things Conte learned from Chelsea’s 4-1 victory against Peterborough
Antonio Conte has done well in the Premier League this season, but the FA Cup was always going to be a different ballgame for the Italian…
Cup competitions always throw up a few surprises, but as the Italian so often has this season – it was buisness as usual for the Blues.
A comfortable 4-1 win was the end result, and in truth, it could have been a lot worse for Peterborough. Fantastic performances from Pedro, Loftus-Cheek, Willian – among others – really carried the Blues through – and the result was never in doubt.
John Terry’s dismissal certainly made things more difficult, but a goal from Pedro in the final stages sealed the points – and Conte can now look ahead to the next round feeling optimistic.
Whilst Chelsea were always expected to win the game, Conte will undoubtedly take a few lessons from the game as he looks towards Leicester at the weekend and the next round of the cup.
With that said, here are 3 things Conte learned from Chelsea’s 4-1 victory against Peterborough…
Youth
One positive note that Conte will take from the game is how well the young players in his first team squad played.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Nathaniel Chalobah were arguably two of the best players on the pitch, and even Ola Aina – who only played a small part in the game – looked good in doing so.
Chelsea aren’t blessed with the biggest squad – and so youth will be very important as the season reaches its peak.
Sure, Peterbourgh won’t pose the same threat as Man City or Arsenal – but it will give Conte confidence knowing that he can rely on his players.
Batshuayi
Michy Batshuayi has hardly featured this season, but the Belgian certainly proved a point to Conte in the FA Cup.
A goal and an assist were a good reward for the hard work put in by the Belgian, and whilst Conte might not have fancied him before – he almost certainly will now.
Batshuayi looked strong, he looked quick and he really did look good – and that will give Chelsea another option as the season progresses.
He really stepped up when he needed to.
John Terry
The only negative consequence of the game was, unfortunately, the sending off of John Terry.
The Englishman has already lost his spot in the first team, and whilst Conte will surely have been hoping that Terry put in a good performance – unfortunately, he didn’t.
He looked okay when he was on the pitch, but a red card was the worst case scenario for the defender – and time is seriously running out for Terry to sign a new contract.
That dismissal could be a crucial moment in John Terry’s Chelsea career.