Roberto De Zerbi suggested that Tottenham's mounting injuries forced his hand on Monday night, as he switched to a back three.
It was more of a hybrid shape, but certainly a back three in possession, Jan Paul van Hecke operated on the right side of Spurs' defence almost on his own, with Mohammed Kudus offering little defensive support ahead of him.
On the opposite flank, Andy Robertson was encouraged to function higher up the pitch, allowing Omar Marmoush to drift infield. While the pair struggled for chemistry much of the night, they combined for the second goal, with Marmoush scoring his first for the club.
There was at least something to build on down the left flank. It wasn't quite as dynamic as the relationship between Destiny Udogie and Sávio at Old Trafford, but the pair undoubtedly would've felt good about their decisive contribution.
And it looks like they'll have the chance to develop their relationship when we visit Stamford Bridge on Saturday evening.
De Zerbi offers positive injury updates on two players
The Italian was forced to change tack late on against Coventry City, as we sought to hold on to a 2-1 advantage and claim our first Premier League win of the season.
A back four was reintroduced with Robertson and the impressive Tosin Adarabioyo hobbling off. On came Ben Davies to replace the former in Destiny Udogie's absence, while Archie Gray shifted to right-back as Mateus Fernandes entered the midfield engine room.
Remarkably, it was stalwart Davies who confirmed our desperately needed victory in stoppage time.
The injuries to Robertson and Udogie begged the question whether Davies could line up at Stamford Bridge this weekend, but it'd appear that the Scot will be fine to feature in west London.
“Tosin and Robertson, small problems. They have no problem for Saturday," De Zerbi told the in-house media team post-match. Reassuring.
Still, some might wonder whether the Italian would be better served making a change at left-back, even if Udogie, the clear first choice when fit, isn't available. Micky van de Ven finished the game at Old Trafford down the left side of defence, and it's a role he performs for the national team.
I don't think it's an ideal solution to Udogie's latest injury setback, but with either Pedro Porro or the marauding Archie Gray stationed on the opposite side, it could balance our defence in possession. De Zerbi would then have to decide between Tosin, who'd be lining up against his former club, or Marcos Senesi.
A Van Hecke x Senesi combination is special in possession but would worry me massively against this Chelsea frontline. I'd probably play Tosin with Van de Ven at left-back, yet De Zerbi could opt against overthinking and deploy his captain at the heart of his defence with Robertson continuing in tandem with Marmoush down the left.
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