Antonio Conte outsmarted naive Mauricio Pochettino with the Plan B no one thought he had

There can be few criticisms levelled at Antonio Conte's work at Stamford Bridge this season.

He has taken a club in crisis, mayhem, and seemingly dangerous decline, to the brink of an historic Double within a few short months.

And yet, as this campaign has ground towards its conclusion, there have been grumbles about Conte's ability to shake things up when under the cosh. Recently, he has named sides depleted by illness or injury, and found them wanting.

That was the case against Crystal Palace and Manchester United.

In the latter game, there was another issue. Conte's tactics were plainly foundering from early in the game, but he refused to change them.

Chelsea know a thing or two about having a boss who tinkers too much – Roman Abramovich's ownership commenced with just such a coach in Claudio Ranieri – but now, it seemed, the opposite was true.

At Old Trafford, the number being done on Chelsea's creative players was unmistakable from almost the outset. Ander Herrera had Eden Hazard in his pocket, and changes might have usually been expected to counter that.

Conte, though, was sure of his plan.

That much can't really be questioned. It is a plan that has lifted the Blues from mid-table to clear leaders. He has proven his worth, and at present stands almost beyond scrutiny as a result. But that will not have dulled the frustrations, many of which were made clear in the aftermath of that defeat.

And so to Wembley and the FA Cup semi-final against Tottenham.

The team sheet dropped as if it were made of gun metal. Jaws hit the ground alongside it. What was Conte playing at, benching Hazard? And how on earth would his Chelsea overcome Mauricio Pochettino's ascendant Spurs with a side featuring Michy Batshuayi and Nathan Ake.

What we were seeing was Plan B in full effect.

The phases of a well-worked gameplan add another dimension to any tactical set-up, and that is what we saw from Conte at Wembley.

Knowing from the outset that he planned to play a certain game until the hour, before changing it, Conte could martial his troops to use that to their advantage.

Willian, a man whose inclusion in that XI caused much consternation in some departments, more than proved his worth with his two set-piece goals.

And, when the time for change came, it left the at times naive Pochettino chasing the game.

The Tottenham boss' changes were too late and too reactive: the late switch of Georges-Kevin N'Koudou for Victor Wanyama was an error, and one of the key causes of Nemanja Matic's superb flying goal.

But this Plan B was hardly unheard of - start with a team a little short of your best, soak up the pressure and bring on impact players as the game unfolds. Yet it was the difference between Chelsea and Tottenham as the Blues advanced to their first FA Cup final in five seasons.

Conte was clear afterwards this was the culmination of a season of hard work. In the past he had indicated players like Batshuayi and Ake still had a way to go to prove their ability to fit within his system.

Ake slotted in effortlessly, while Batshuayi's impact was more subtle. But this merely showed that Conte has waited to implement Plan B precisely because he has been short of the tools to deliver it - and those tools now appear far better sharpened for the run-in.

This is all good news for Chelsea next season. They can win this title by being the best in the country at doing one thing, but as their tactics become more familiar, knowledge of remedies will spread more widely.

Arguably, Manchester United did him a favour by so easily nullifying Chelsea, and forcing the issue with Conte.

But this weekend brought not only a famous win and advancement to the first final of Chelsea's Conte era, it also delivered a maturing of the side and a sign of added resilience that brings a new dimension to what was there before.

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