Oscar not persuaded by new Conte formation just yet

West Ham will be in the dark as to which formation Chelsea will favour for their season-opening clash on Monday, but Oscar has made no secret of where he prefers to line up under new manager Antonio Conte.

The Italian has experimented with both a 4-2-4 and a more conventional 4-3-3 formation during Chelsea’s pre-season campaign, and the 2014/15 Premier League champions have started to pick up some momentum.

The Blues beat Werder Bremen 4-2 in their final fixture of the summer on Sunday, and Oscar – who added to Eden Hazard’s opener in the first half with a cute finish – admits he has been happier in the centre of the park so far during Conte’s tenure.

“I think we have played better with the 4-3-3 than when we have played 4-2-4, but we have two formations and we always try our best,” he said.

“I like playing in a 4-3-3 because I can score more goals, and also create more and tackle in midfield which I like to do to help the team.

“In the last two games I have scored three goals so I am feeling good, we are ready and now we are all just looking forward to starting the season.”

Oscar linked up well with both Hazard and Diego Costa, who now looks set to remain at Stamford Bridge for this season after rumours he was set to leave just a fortnight ago.

All three scored and assisted a goal before the break, and the Brazilian insists everything is starting to click into place for an attacking line-up that at times were on a completely different wavelength last season.

He said: “We like to play together. Every time when we have the ball we come close together to try and link up and create something. This is good for the team and for us.

“I think 4-2 was a bit low. We played much better than Werder Bremen and we deserved to score more goals.

“We missed a lot of chances but it was good because the team created a lot. Everyone played very well.”