Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has new options at the back, with Antonio Rudiger and Davide Zappacosta offering strong competition for Gary Cahill and Victor Moses

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David Luiz, Gary Cahill, Cesar Azpilicueta. Chelsea's back line was as settled and predictable as it comes last season as they marched to the Premier League title.

Once manager Antonio Conte realised that playing three in defence was the key to success, and that those three should be Luiz, Cahill and Azpilicueta, there was no turning back.

Fast-forward 12 months and the situation has become a little more complicated. Those three are no longer guaranteed to be the first names pencilled onto Conte's teamsheet.

Antonio Rudiger is congratulated by Antonio Conte after a good performance at Leicester

Chelsea captain Gary Cahill saw red during their opening day defeat by Burnley

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte now has additional options for his defensive line

Sure, the trio's consistency was one of the key factors in Chelsea winning the title by seven points, but that was last season and this is now.

Things have moved on - summer signings have offered greater choice and flexibility, Conte has greater possibilities and increased scope for experimentation.

Cahill may have succeeded John Terry as club captain, but his sending off after just 14 minutes of Chelsea's season-opener against Burnley could prove very costly indeed.

Chelsea haven't exactly struggled in his absence, following up that 3-2 defeat with assured victories over Tottenham, Everton and Leicester City.

Luiz has remained, while Azpilicueta has slipped into the captain's armband and into Cahill's central position with the minimum of fuss.

David Luiz continues to hold his place in the Chelsea defence, playing three games so far

Cesar Azpilicueta has also played in three of Chelsea's opening four Premier League matches

In his place, Antonio Rudiger, the £29million summer arrival from Roma, has been playing with increased confidence having adapted quickly to the rigours of the English game.

Rudiger has been quick out of the blocks in the Premier League. Quite literally - he was clocked running at 21.87mph at Leicester on Saturday, the highest speed gun reading of the summer so far.

The German is the only Chelsea defender to have featured in all four league matches so far, having also lined up with Cahill and Azpilicueta on the opening day.

We've also seen Andreas Christensen, who has gained two years of excellent experience at Borussia Monchengladbach, come into the side against Spurs and perform with maturity.

It came after he slotted into Chelsea's defence against Burnley following Cahill's red card for a lunging tackle on Steven Defour.

So when Chelsea host Arsenal in Sunday's London derby, Conte certainly won't feel any obligation to bring Cahill straight back into the fold.

Andreas Christensen (left), Cesar Azpilicueta (middle) and David Luiz look dejected after conceding on the opening day against Burnley

Davide Zappacosta comes on for his Chelsea debut, replacing Victor Moses at Leicester

The Italian offers an additional option to Moses in the right wing-back position

The manager sought additional depth in defensive positions and has achieved this, so the old guarantees for last season's immovable back three no longer apply.

Conte will believe the competition for places is healthy and, from his perspective, pragmatic with the Blues back in the Champions League, where they open against Qarabag on Tuesday night.

Rotation is likely to be the order of the day, with the five mentioned defenders to select from. Luiz made 32 league appearances last season, Cahill 35 and Azpilicueta all 38. It's unlikely they'll match those numbers this time.

Conte has introduced competition further up the field as well. Marcos Alonso and Victor Moses proved excellent wing-backs last season, but the signing of Davide Zappacosta from Torino will have Moses on his toes.

The Italian replaced Moses for his Chelsea debut in the final 15 minutes at Leicester, but Conte will doubtless swap between the two as the season progresses.

Conte may not have been entirely satisfied with Chelsea's summer dealings but Chelsea's defence has acquired a fresh new look, with some very capable additional options.