The one thing that is certain from this season’s showing is that Chelsea need a complete rebuilding job. The growth is stagnated and the players who won the blues the league are fighting for their future. The likes of Eden Hazard, Matic and Oscar are just a pale shadow of themselves.
Good news is that the man who is assigned to rebuild the team has done it before. Juventus needed a similar kind of rebuilding and Conte Rose to the front and did it splendidly. The hope is that he will do a similar job here at the Bridge and the board has signed a perfect man for the job.
Many positions need strengthening but the most important is the midfield. Midfield is the place where matches are won and lost and this season’s disastrous performances have reflected that. Matic and Fabregas who were unstoppable last season have been run ragged this campaign. Matic has seen such a dip in his form that he has been sitting on the bench mostly under Hiddink. Mikel has performed decently but it is obvious that the blues need a box to box midfielder who can dictate the tempo of the game and can perform in attack and in defense effectively.
Chelsea have been linked with a number of midfielders but the one whose rumours have intensified and is labelled as Antonio Conte’s no.1 target is AS Roma’s midfield pitbull Radja Nainggolan. He is just the type of player that is missing in this squad and his addition might be the kick-start that is needed come next season.
Nainggolan is a kind of player who is not flashy at all, keeps the play ticking at all times and just keeps it simple. At the same time he is a tough tackler and contributes a lot defensively. The Belgian has played his whole country at a number of clubs in Italy and has played at a number of positions. He can play as a defensive midfielder, can play in a pivot, in a diamond and also sometimes on the wings.
Radja Nainggolan has not scored a lot of goals in career but can contribute with his simple yet effective passing. His partnership with Miralem Pjanic at Roma has been brilliant and it can be hoped that he can forge a similar type of relationship with the Spaniard, Cesc Fabregas. Conte has played a lot of his teams in a 4-3-3 formation and the three man midfield with Fabregas, Matic/Mikel and Nainggolan can dominate the opponents.
Most importantly him and Fabregas can form a partnership that can make a play out of nothing and feed the forwards ahead. Nainggolan is an expert in breaking plays and Fabregas who has enjoyed a free roaming role under Hiddink is given the same kind of role under Conte can produce the kind of magic which Fabregas displayed in his first season at Stamford Bridge.
Nainggolan is a no-nonsense player and that is the kind of leader that is needed in the centre of the park. His defensive abilities combined with Febregas’ vision can bring the glory days back for the blues and the 27 year old if signed by Chelsea will be a huge addition to the squad.