Three months into Antonio Conte’s Chelsea reign, things started to click.
Weeks ago it looked as though the Italian’s position in charge may have been under threat after back-to-back losses against Liverpool and Arsenal.
The defeats sparked Conte into action as he initiated a change in formation from 4-1-4-1 to 3-4-3 with the aim of compensating for the defensive frailties of Gary Cahill and David Luiz.
The switch had an immediate effect as the Blues ran out 2-0 winners against Hull in the next game.
Chelsea then managed comfortable wins over Manchester United, Leicester City and Southampton – all of which without conceding a single goal.
It appears to Italian is finally stamping his mark on the side and working out which players have a future and which don’t.
The likes of Victor Moses, for example, have worked their way into Conte’s plans despite being loaned out for the past three seasons.
Not everyone is following the Nigerian’s example and earning their keep.
Here are THREE players we the punters here in the Transfer Tavern think should get the axe….
BRANISLAV IVANOVIC
The first man on our list won’t come as a surprise to any Chelsea fans at the Tavern.
The Serb has been under-par for at least 18 months now and seems a liability at right-back.
With Moses seemingly taking the spot at right-wingback and Ivanovic not having the defensive discipline to fit into Chelsea’s rigid backline, you have to question where the 32-year-old fits into Conte’s plans.
His contract is up at the end of the season and there seems to reason to extend his stay.
RUBEN LOFTUS-CHEEK
For a couple of years now, Ruben Loftus-Cheek has been seen as one of Chelsea’s best young prospects.
The 20-year-old made his league debut in the 2014/15 title-winning season but has only appeared in 17 games overall.
Unfortunately for the Blues, he has made little impact and the Blues may well be wise to cash in now.
With Ola Aina picking up experience while Tammy Abraham and Lewis Baker impress on loan, there are a new batch of youngsters for Conte to build his team around.
JOHN TERRY
John Terry has been Mr Chelsea for 18 seasons now, making over 700 total appearances.
There have been multiple times when the former-England captain has been written off yet Chelsea have never managed the same success without him in the side (with the exception of their 2012 Champions League success which Terry missed out on through suspension).
Last season it looked age was catching up with the centre back, while Conte has previously remarked that he will not be a regular starter over the coming season.
If this truly is a new era for the Blues, it is one that should be started without relying on Mr Chelsea.
