Antonio Conte: Important Chelsea adapt to new system with Eden Hazard, Pedro and Willian front three

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Tom Dutton15 January 2017

Antonio Conte says it is important his Chelsea players are comfortable using various systems after victory over Leicester on Saturday.

Diego Costa was left out of the squad for the trip to the King Power Stadium after his Chelsea future was thrown into doubt following a row with Conte.

Costa picked up a back injury on Tuesday, while Standard Sport understands there is a big offer from China for the striker on the table.

Eden Hazard played in the most advanced role with Willian and Pedro on either side and the Blues cruised past Claudio Ranieri's champions.

A brace from Marco Alonso and a third from Pedro capped a fine win at the King Power Stadium.

Only suspensions to Costa, N'Golo Kante and Pedro had previously disrupted Conte's team selection after a switch to 4-3-3 in September, with the Italian relying on a settled first XI to fuel Chelsea's title charge.

But Conte says his players must be ready for rotation of players and a shift in tactics in the coming weeks.

He said: "It’s important to have another plan in your mind. To play without a number nine is another solution. We showed against Bournemouth and today, we played without a number nine and won 3-0, 3-0.

"It’s important to always play as a team and to have different solutions is important for me and the team. Sometimes to change your plan is important."

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