Chelsea surrendered their Champions League advantage against Barcelona on Tuesday night, but this game was a reminder of what Antonio Conte can do.
Conte is under pressure at Chelsea, almost certainly on his way out in the summer and was widely chastised for picking a side without a striker in the build-up to this first leg.
But the Italian’s tactics worked – aside from an unpredictable defensive mistake that allowed Lionel Messi to grab the equaliser.
Antonio Conte played a striker-less formation as Chelsea drew against Barcelona on Tuesday
Willian proved to be the star of the show on the night, scoring Chelsea’s opener, while Eden Hazard and Pedro also proved hard-working threats to Barcelona.
Match this performance in the Nou Camp, blocking out Barca’s principle threats and offering plenty on the counter-attack, and Chelsea might have a chance of progress.
Here, Sportsmail looks at what Conte did right – and what he needs to get right again in the Nou Camp.
Abandoning central areas
Chelsea’s choice of playing without Alvaro Morata or Olivier Giroud left Hazard, Willian and Pedro to run the forward line with the former marked up as the most central man.
But Conte’s striker-less side rarely bothered attacking the heart of Barcelona’s defence and instead went for the weak areas of their full backs before moving into the middle.
Sportsmail’s heat-map for Hazard from Tuesday night shows how he operated out wide, notably when compared to the role he occupied in the win away at Atletico Madrid in September.
Left: Hazard’s heat-map for the game against Barcelona, Right: The Belgian’s heat-map from away at Atletico Madrid in the Champions League group stage
Chelsea played in a 3-5-2 set-up that night, with Morata and Hazard up top together. Conte has suggested that is not an option against Barcelona.
‘Playing Alvaro Morata from the start, with him and Eden Hazard, without Willian or Pedro, would’ve lost our balance,’ the Italian said. ‘It would’ve been suicidal.’
Chelsea are happy to let Barcelona take control of the central areas – that will even be the case if a striker plays in the second leg.
By attacking the space Jordi Alba and Sergi Roberto have vacated in attack, they created more opportunities to hurt Barcelona.
Hazard spins away from Sergi Roberto in a wide area, where Barcelona were most vulnerable
How Willian and Pedro made the difference
Should Conte decide to field a striker in the Nou Camp, one of Willian or Pedro faces the chop. But both players were key on Tuesday night.
Willian scored and hit the post twice, but was equally as important in stretching Barcelona out wide on the right and making use of the space that Andres Iniesta allowed him to take up.
Pedro played deeper, providing an extra body in midfield when needed and working as a link man for Hazard’s flicks off the front line.
Left: Willian’s heat-map from Tuesday night’s game Right: Heat-map for team-mate Pedro
Conte spoke of the need for ‘balance’ after the game and these two players, who have been largely out of his side in the biggest matches this season, provided that.
In November, he had mentioned how the extra man in midfield in the 3-5-2 formation saw Chelsea finding ‘a new balance, a new solidity, when we are attacking and when we are defending.’
But with Morata struggling of late and Giroud bereft of the pace needed to take on Barcelona in this style, Pedro and Willian proved the perfect solution.
Willian motors away from Barcelona’s Ivan Rakitic on one of Chelsea’s counter attacks
Lionel Messi’s pass-map from Tuesday night
Forcing Messi back
Messi tends to come deeper, away from the forward line, as part of Barcelona’s 4-4-2 formation, but Chelsea helped make that more of an issue on Tuesday night.
The world’s most-famous No 10 is arguably the best passer in this Barcelona team but his talents are obviously better utilised further forward.
And Chelsea’s three at the back, which becomes a five when the wing backs sit deep, were able to block off most of his good passing options.
Messi’s pass-map shows a player largely operating on the brink of the final third, his passes around the 18-yard box limited.
Chelsea allowed the Argentine to score the equaliser through Andreas Christensen’s mistake and his dribbles from deep were a huge threat, but the world’s best player was otherwise restrained.
Messi is kept under close watch by Chelsea’s N’Golo Kante and Marcos Alonso
He is also forced to carry much of Barcelona’s creative burden when the midfield cannot find a way to break Chelsea down.
Stopping Messi at the Nou Camp is obviously key for the second leg. Keeping him away from goal has shown to be a good start.
What can a striker offer?
Morata made a seven-minute cameo on Tuesday night and will hope to earn a starting berth in Barcelona with three games to play between the two legs.
Chelsea have to score in Spain to have any chance of going through and starting with a striker should allow them to get better hold of the ball than the 27 per cent of possession they had in the first leg.
Morata’s hold-up play needs work, but he has shown an ability to stretch back lines with his movement and that would offer Hazard and Co more room to operate behind him.
Alvaro Morata came on as a substitute but he could get a chance in the second leg in Spain
That much could even be seen in the last seven minutes on Tuesday, when the Belgian looked more dangerous dropping deeper rather than having to lead the line.
January signing Giroud is another option, but may not have the legs to fulfill the role Conte will want from a forward at the Nou Camp.
Barcelona’s defenders are not particularly pacey, Alba aside, and Morata – like Hazard, Willian and Pedro – could capitalise on that.
Olivier Giroud, a substitute, congratulates Willian on his opening goal against Barcelona
Cesc Fabregas’ pass-map from Tuesday night
How Fabregas can be key
Cesc Fabregas had to keep a lid on his creative instincts with plenty to concentrate on when defending and with Chelsea largely bypassing the midfield on the counter.
‘We executed the game plan really well,’ Fabregas said afterwards. ‘We were compact, solid, played as a team and created lots of chances.’
But the 30-year-old was not greatly involved in the latter. Fabregas’ pass-map shows his long balls forward largely failed.
That aspect of his game will likely be improved by the potential fielding of a striker at the Nou Camp and more opportunities to open Barcelona up.
The second leg may see the Spanish league leaders moving away from being compact in defence as they seek a way to capitalise on their home advantage.
Fabregas, back at the club he started his career at, can open them up. Conte just needs to find a way to get him on the ball.
Fabregas plays a pass in front of Conte, avoiding the pressure provided by Paulinho