Dave Kidd: Antonio Conte is showing us now how entertaining Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea could have been
Stamford Bridge boss went 3-4-3 and since they have won five straight league games, scoring 16 goals and conceding none
IT’S long been a mantra of old-school English football types — and I’m not mentioning any Redknapps in particular here — that the game is ‘about players not systems’.
Except that when Chelsea were playing with a flat back four, they had their backsides whipped by Liverpool and Arsenal — but since Antonio Conte switched to a 3-4-3, they have won five straight league games, scoring 16 goals and conceding none.
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Conte is showing us how entertaining Jose Mourinho’s most recent Chelsea team could have been.
Just as Carlo Ancelotti once showed us how thrilling Mourinho’s first Chelsea team might have been.
North/South divide
SHOULD you feel that Premier League refereeing standards have dropped in recent years, many match officials will agree.
But it could be that the cream is simply no longer rising to the top.
As one veteran of the dark arts pointed out to me, it’s worth noting that of the 17 men to have refereed top-flight matches this season, just two are from south of Watford Gap.
And of the 110 Premier League matches played so far, a mere six have been refereed by southerners — Roger East four and the lesser-spotted Graham Scott two.
Now, it could be that northern refs are overwhelmingly better than southern ones. And it might be nothing to do with Yorkshireman Mike Riley showing favouritism towards northerners.
Even though Howard Webb admits that when he joined the Select Group, when Riley was still refereeing, there was a noticeable split, largely on north-south lines.
Or could it be something to do with the fact that southern-based Football League refs, hoping to earn promotion and go full-time in the Premier League, are always delighted on the rare occasions they are sent north.
That’s because the assessors who give them their all-important marks out of 100 are renowned for being far more generous than those in the south...
Balls in the limelight
WITH Delia Smith, Stephen Fry and Ed Balls all on their board in recent years, Norwich have often seemed more like a reality TV show than a football club.
But after four straight defeats, at least their supporters will admire the fact that present chairman Balls isn’t currently dodging the limelight...
No joy for Joyce
THE much-held belief that a club with a new manager will generally experience a ‘bounce’ was statistically proved to be nonsense years ago.
But Warren Joyce underlined this fact spectacularly during his first match as Wigan boss on Saturday — one down to Reading after 57 seconds; two down after five minutes.
So on behalf of everyone who’s starting a new job this week — thanks for making us feel more relaxed, Warren.
At least we’re all pretty confident we won’t begin quite as badly as you did.
It Muz end in tears
A HISTORIC week in sport, then.
Andy Murray becomes the first British singles tennis player to become world No 1.
Although only the second tennis player in his own family to become a world No 1.
And the way things are going, neither Murray nor brother Jamie will be British for much longer anyway.
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Also, the Chicago Cubs won baseball’s World Series for the first time in 108 years.
Although, looking at the bloke who might be getting his little hands on the nuclear button, it might have been the last ever World Series.
What with there probably not being a world by next autumn.