Why Baba Rahman should have accepted Contes’ criticism at Chelsea in the wake

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The Ghanaian left-back believes the Italian made him lose confidence at Stamford Bridge, but could things have turned out differently?

More than five years after last playing a competitive game for Chelsea and now reaching a critical point in his career, Abdul Baba Rahman remains in the books of the Stamford Bridge giants, but he has never been further from the first team.

After several complicated loan periods since 2016, the left-back expects another year or a final sale again.

Having suffered serious knee injuries, the past few months have been milder for the West African.

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Loaned to PAOK in late January, the temporary fate saw them feature prominently as the Greek side finished second in the Super League and won the Cup with a 2-1 victory over Olympiacos.

Even more important than beating the national champions was maintaining a good health record in South East Europe. Baba not only participated in 13 league games, but started 11 of them. Perhaps more encouragingly, he played 90 minutes in 10 of the aforementioned 11 matches, without suffering another setback.

He also featured prominently in the cup, starting every quarterfinal second leg game until he was withdrawn in the 95th minute by Pablo Garcia to kill time after winner Michael Krmenciks in the 90th minute.

The aforementioned progress is expected to lift the spirits of West Africans after the hell of his injury seems to be endless.

Having spent the first half of the campaign away from the first-team bubble at Cobham, his time in Greece after months with Chelsea’s development team has seen him win important minutes under his belt.

Notably, Baba often played left-back at PAOK. This is interesting as the west London club have mainly used a formation involving wingers under Thomas Tuchel since January and could make him an option for the 2021/22 campaign.

Moreover, it is also a role the Ghanaian could have played had he chosen not to leave Stamford Bridge five years ago under Antonio Conte.

Indeed, the relationship of the left-backs with the demanding Italian coach has once again come under scrutiny following his recent comments on the events leading up to his temporary departure in the summer of 2016.

I left Chelsea because I didn’t get along well with Conte. When he arrived, I had the first meeting with him before the end of the season, Baba told Joy Sports last week. He told me how he wanted to play and how I can be on the team if I decide to stay. So, I said okay, it’s good.

During the preseason, I didn’t like the way he reacted to me. I went to talk to the athletic director, and I shared my concerns with him. I told him that is what happens in training and I don’t have any confidence in myself anymore and if I stay here I won’t be confident enough to show my qualities.

In fairness, perhaps Conte should have understood the concept of individual differences when dealing with Baba.

Not all players will feel the motivation to respond positively to what might appear to be the biggest bully on the job site going after the individual perceived as vulnerable.

Andrea Pirlo, in her autobiography, noted: When [Conte] utters his words assault you. They pass through the doors of your mind, often quite violently, and settle deep inside you. Regardless, the pair have formed a solid working relationship, winning three Scudetti with Juventus between 2011 and 2014.

In 2016, Leonardo Bonucci also noted how the management of Tales from the Italian national team was the main reason for their unexpected progression to the quarter-finals of the European Championship, revealing the coaches’ preference for players with great personalities. .

The 51-year-old went berserk at Gianluigi Buffon ahead of a final matchday against Cagliari in May 2014, annoyed after the latter, accompanied by general manager Beppe Marotta, appeared more interested in discussing bonuses.

At the time, they had accumulated 99 points and were already Serie A champions, but Conte desperately wanted to become a Centurion. He allegedly sent the goalkeepers’ teammates out of the room and launched a tirade of cursing at Buffon, who he said should have known better.

The Old Lady refocused and beat Sardinia 3-0, finishing that year with 102 points.

The above demonstrates the dynamism, ferocity and demanding nature of Contes. From the outside, that was probably the intention when he arrived at Cobham, but Rahman believed his new coach set him apart.

Due to the importance of full-backs in his system, Baba’s emphasis on prosperity has been understood, particularly the Ghanaian defender being the team’s only natural left-back when he arrived.

While Conte isn’t as married to three fullbacks as many might believe, he first tried a 4-2-4 in Chelsea’s pre-season and started the campaign with a 4-1-4-1 the signing of Marcos Alonso and the return of David Luiz highlighted the Italian opening the door to a switch as the season wore on.

As it turns out, the aforementioned purchases played a huge role in the Blues Premier League’s victory. So, one has to wonder what could have been: Baba, not Alonso, could he have been the flying winger in the transformation of Tales 16/17 Blues?

From an African perspective, it would have been gratifying to see Victor Moses and Rahman feature significantly on the opposing flanks in the very first team to claim the PL with a three-way defense.

However, the manager and the player fell out, and the latter got injured, meaning he hasn’t added to his 23 appearances for Chelsea since 2016.

Conte initially felt that Ghana’s left-back was too offensive for his system and recent comments from broad defenders suggest he should have taken the alleged criticism in stride. Hard love is, after all, preferable to indifference.

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