The Significant Game

The Guardian published a great article today, highlighting the influence Antonio Conte had on the shift in tactics and starting formations during this and last year's Premier League seasons. Conte's Chelsea dominated the league with their 3-4-2-1 forcing other managers to revise their tactical plan. Chelsea was the first team in 53 years to win the league with a back three as their default formation. We can observe this shift when looking at the share of starting formations in Premier League matches with a back three. This share has increased significantly since Conte's arrival at Chelsea; both driven by his own choices and by other manager's trying to react. Back in the Serie A a back three is much more common and has at times been the favourite starting line-up:

While in relative little use prior to 2012, the 4-2-3-1 system has gained importance recently and has replaced 4-4-2 as the most important starting formation in the Premier League. This trend has reversed over the past two years as we see the 4-3-3 system gaining back importance and 3-4-2-1 becoming significant (leading Chelsea FC to their 2016 Premier League title).