Antonio Conte agreed to switch Gary Cahill’s position against Roma in midweek on the advice of his own players, according to the Daily Telegraph.
Club captain Cahill has endured a difficult spell but has remained a mainstay of the Italian’s three-man defence. During the midweek defeat against the Serie A side, however, he lined-up on the left, rather than his usual position on the right.
The change of position did little to rectify Chelsea’s recent defensive problems as they shipped another three goals in a calamitous defeat which could cost them the chance to top their group.
Ahead of Sunday’s crunch meeting with Manchester United on Sunday, Conte confirmed he would return Cahill to his more customary position but remained coy on why he enacted a change in the first place.
When asked why Cahill was played on the right, Conte hesitated before replying: ‘I think… honestly, I don’t want to answer this question, its not a disrespect for you [the reporter], but who must understand, understands. This is my answer, do you understand?’
Asked if he will play on the right again, Conte replied: ‘No, no. ‘He’s very good to play on the left. We won a league with Cahill in this position, I don’t know, I don’t understand why we have to try again to try put him on the right. This is a good question.’
And when asked if Conte was admitting to making a mistake over Cahill’s position, the Italian replied: ‘Maybe, maybe. ‘I think Cahill can play on the right or the left, but the best position for him, for me, is on the left, but sometimes it can happen, some misunderstanding, but it’s then to clarify the situation.’
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