Antonio Conte’s Jersey homecoming was not supposed to descend

He must have privately relished bringing his English champions, such a well-drilled outfit last season, back to Italy in the hope they would impose themselves in an arena where, on his last visit, he had been overseeing the Azzurri. Yet everything about this return to Rome was nightmarish, with Chelsea shredded at the back and profligate up front. Leadership of this section has been lost but, more significantly, this team feels damaged. They have rarely performed so chaotically.

The only consolation, and it will feel considerable in the Alex Burrows Jersey cold light of day, http://www.buccaneersofficialauthentic.com/Authentic-Ali-Marpet-Jersey was Atlético Madrid’s failure to overcome Qarabag’s 10 men in Spain, which means a win in Baku at the end of November will still secure progress into the knockout phase. Yet, rather than fret over the machinations of Group C, Conte’s priority must be recovering confidence for Manchester United’s visit to Stamford Bridge on Sunday. Defend as poorly as they did against Roma and, even if José Mourinho is thinking safety first, the visitors will sense plunder.

Plenty will point to the summer sale of Nemanja Matic to United as reason for Chelsea’s sudden vulnerability. More pressing at present, of course, is N’Golo Kanté’s absence. Conte and his medical staff had deemed it would be “stupid to risk” selecting the Frenchman at the Stadio Olimpico with his recovery from hamstring trouble still not properly complete. They missed his instincts in defensive midfield yet again here – this team have conceded 11 goals in the six matches he has missed, with only one clean sheet en route – with http://www.officialfootballvikingstore.com/Nike-Andrew-Sendejo-Jersey.html too many players across Chelsea’s midfield and forward line carrying wear or aching limbs to compensate. Even so, their rearguard should have offered more resistance than this.

They were overwhelmed, punctured after 38 seconds and tormented thereafter by Edin Dzeko’s brawn Alex Burrows Jersey and clever movement, and the slippery pace of Diego Perotti and Stephan El Shaarawy on the counter. Conte had tried to rejig things, moving Gary Cahill to the right of his back three, then hauling off his captain before the hour-mark and even employing Pedro as a right wing-back, but fragility persisted. Perotti’s third was skimmed low from distance after Cesc Fàbregas surrendered the ball and Pedro had merely dangled a leg in an attempt to block the forward’s burst, yet it was an opportunity moments later that truly summed up this mess of a performance.

Another counterattack had Chelsea exposed with all three centre-halves drawn to Dzeko in possession as he approached the edge of the penalty area. The Bosnian merely checked back, with Antonio Rüdiger, David Luiz and César Azpilicueta in a neat line pointing at goal but all horribly off balance, and slid a diagonal pass across the box to the unmarked Perotti. The forward skied his shot over the bar, but the visitors had been split apart.

“He’s been great,” says Ian Foster, the All Blacks assistant coach. “It was a mutual agreement that the time was right for him to come back in. We’ve made it tough for him, because it hasn’t been easy for him to get back in, but his attitude’s been outstanding. He’s done a heck of a job off the park, helping this team prepare, even if he wasn’t in the 23. He’s got a bounce in his step, and he’s pretty keen to play.”

As are the All Blacks, with that rare defeat to work out of their system. The Barbarians, albeit replete with 13 New Zealanders in the 26-man squad, cannot afford to adopt the customary festival approach for this one.

 

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