Chelsea are expected to play in a 4-4-2 system under Antonio Conte during the 2016/17 campaign.
There's been much speculation regarding Chelsea's formation following the appointment of Conte back in May, who favoured a 3-5-2 while in charge of Italy. That system served the Azzurri well at Euro 2016, but with the personnel at Stamford Bridge many wonder if it could work in west London.
The Italian finally arrived at the club last week, after he took a short break following the Euros, and knows the task that awaits him. The Blues endured a nightmarish campaign last term, losing nine of their opening 16 Premier League games, which resulted in a mid-table finish and Jose Mourinho's sacking.
Conte has been quick to add reinforcements to his new squad in this transfer window, signing Michy Batshuayi from Marseille and N'Golo Kante from champions Leicester City. With that in mind, the Squawka Talker podcast discussed what system would be deployed at the club next term, with Squawka's chief reporter Greg Stobart offering his thoughts on the matter.
"The people at Chelsea are saying the plan is a 4-4-2, or a variation of it," Stobart told the Squawka Talker. "So I think it's more the players play the system than the system fitted around the players."
As for the Blues exploits last season, they scored 59 goals and conceded 53 in their 38 Premier League games, with a shot accuracy of 47% and an average pass accuracy of 83%.
They finished 10th on 50 points, 16 adrift of the top four and 31 behind Leicester at the summit, subsequently missing out on European football. However, the allure of Conte has evidently counteracted that disadvantage in the transfer window with the signings of Batshuayi and Kante, with the latter leaving a club in the Champions League.
Chelsea have a tough start next season, taking on London rivals West Ham United at Stamford Bridge, before games against Watford and Burnley in the following weeks.
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