Tactical Analysis: Tottenham vs Chelsea How did Chelsea look to exploit, and dominate Tottenham? Maracas subtle, but important tweaks halftime? What does Chelsea need to improve to contend for the title? Etc... A Thread
https://twitter.com/CFCNewsJJ/... It was a game filled with ups/downs and there is no better place to start than the build-up. {Build-Up} From goal kicks Chelsea played with the usual 4-2-4, however, the GK would often act as the situational back RCB which pushed Badia as the RB with Caicedo inverting into midfield to partner Lavia. Simply put, Chelsea struggled. Theoretically, there is nothing wrong with the structure itself(as we have seen in previous Chelsea games), but having Badia as the RB who is naturally a LCB/LB in possession did not work due to the support around him and the angles. Solanke is an excellent presser, so he always managed to block off Colwill and force Sanchez to Badia/long(when Sanchez tried forcing it, we made mistakes). There are 2 adjustments I think we should have made to accommodate Badia.
1. Given Badia was in an unfavorable position, the pivots should have come closer for more combinations rather than relying on Badia to individually get the ball out himself. In the picture above for example, Caicedo and Lavia should drop closer. More short carries/touches and passes would have helped a lot. Badia is more than capable of holding off one player, releasing and flowing. 2. The 2nd solution is dropping Enzo deeper to make it a 3 man midfield. Their DFs were unwilling to drop too deep, so it would have disrupted their press. If a Spurs player did follow, then we hoof it long which should be advantageous for us anyway. Why do I propose 2? Video below.
https://twitter.com/CFCNewsJJ/... This happens from a reset, but in the video below Enzo drops deeper and no one follows him. Due to Caicedo's positioning, he has Son pinned which gives enough time for Badia to actually angle his body position and pass the ball. This +1 Enzo creates is what helps us have a smooth build up which actually leads to Sanchos goal. This is something we didn't do enough at all and it will have worked very well because Enzo would have been free when he dropped. Let's take a look at our ever changing in-possession dynamics in this game.
{In Possession} In the 1st half during deep possession, it was a 3-3-4. This was when Chelsea managed to consistently progress play from the back. Why? It all starts with Bissouma being tasked with man-marking Palmer. Spurs press in a 4-1-4-1 manner, so Bissouma was 2v1 in the halfspaces due to Enzo's presence unless a DF stepped up(which they didn't do often due to Jackson's presence.). This meant they left Enzo Fernandez as a free man. Enzo consistently knew what spaces to occupy and allowed CHE to play through Tottenham and when we did it was often a 5v5 situation(we should have done better with some of our moments).
To accommodate Badia, CHE occasionally transitioned into a 2-3-5 build-up which allowed Badia to be more central. This makes his angles easier, but not something we saw consistently enough in the 1st half, and we did look vulnerable when we lost the ball with this set-up.
In the 2nd half, Maresca subbed Lavia off and brought on Gusto. The subsequent changes in dynamics were Badia coming into the LCB spot, Colwill as the CCB IP, and RCB in a back 4 while Gusto was the RB. This meant Cucu pushed up as the LCM and Enzo came into the double pivot. A rigid 3-2-5(Palmer sometimes dropped for the 3-3-4). The downside of this setup was that Chelsea could not use Cucu as the 3rd receiver with his back2goal as he does not possess the necessary abilities + Chelsea “lost” Enzo's box threat theoretically. This meant it was easier for Bissouma to focus on Palmer, but Palmer took things up a notch. He was consistently either threatening Bissouma with runs in behind the last line or dropping into wide areas to collect the ball. This left huge spaces in the middle. Enzo took advantage from deep with his passing which allowed us to progress play forward.
Our press coupled with the changes made helped us build up in the middle even smoother and sustain pressure higher up the pitch. For about 35 minutes we had Tottenham camped in their own half, unable to get out. The best we've looked against a top 6 side in a half.
https://twitter.com/CFCNewsJJ/... { A Dynamic Pivot } Maresca adds dynamism to our attacks by giving license to 1 of the pivot players to attack the box once we have the opposition pinned. This is very calculated though, as they only join the box to score/create when the space really opens up. This is also ideal since they see the play unfold before they get into it, making it so they actually attack the spaces that matter while overloading the box at the same time depending on circumstances. Watch. It gave us 2 of our goals. Caicedo attacks the space to put in the cutback but ends up winning the pen(Sancho btw). Enzo positions himself in an area that allows us to counter-press and also be a goal threat. The ball ball rebounds in the box and he’s there to attack it(Palmer). This usage of the pivot gives us lots of dynamism.
It can be dangerous when the ball is lost though, given 1 of the pivot players could be incapable of returning straight away, etc. This is where the nearby players closest to the middle need to recover and everyone does it well. Despite this risk, I think it's fine we keep using our pivots this way because our midfielders don't just jump into the box. They really pick their moments, so it's going to be rare to see a rest defence with only one 6.
{Out of Possession} The plan was to go man2man. Palmer/Jackson tasked with forcing the GK to one side of the pitch and pressing intensely. This is something we struggled with in the 1st half due to mistimed jumps and poor dueling. Caicedo was probably the biggest culprit as he consistently mistimed his jumps which allowed Spurs to kill us with their wide rotations/progression(Badia as the RCB did not help, but I can't fault him). We got much better at dealing with it in the 2nd half due to Gusto. Tottenham did not get any chance except the Neto mistake that gifted Son his chance until they came into the game after we scored the 4th goal(meaning we allowed them have that control + our subs didn't help).
https://twitter.com/CFCNewsJJ/... I talked a lot about intangibles once we lost the LIV game and it was on display once again. In life/football, you need to control the small things which in turn becomes something big. CHE is a team that can't control the little things at an elite level which allows variance in our game. Let's ignore the slips or even build up mistakes. A side that wins trophies does not make the mistake we just did here. Just like how Son spotted the opportunity, our players should have done the same, yet not EVEN 1 seems to realize what's going on. These things come with experience(if we had Silva, he instantly recognizes what Son is up to and communicates to others).
Colwill should have done much better on the 1st goal we conceded and he knows given his reaction after. Solanke literally looks at the far post and acts like he's attacking that side even before Johnson is ready to cross and Colwill sees that. Top defenders dominate their opponents mentally and physically. Colwill loses out here too easily (Solankes strategy is basic and overpowers him too easily). Sanchez should do better as well.
We've certainly conceded too many goals and allow teams too many shots, but its not a systemic issue. Our problems stem from mistakes, so its always correctable through improvement/recruitment. If we want to challenge, we need to cut out the silly mistakes we make. We quite literally gave Spurs all 3 of their goals. 2 slips, and a corner in which everyone looked mentally checked out thinking they already won the game. We cant do that.
Speaking of intangibles, these are 2 players coming off when the team was winning 4-2. Jackson visibly crying and Neto frustrated by his poor performance. This is the lvl of desire we want from our players. Players who understand what it means to step on the pitch for Chelsea. It warms my heart to see Jacksons reaction, because he lacks any real competitor in this team currently and has been on fine form. This is the kind of hunger that takes you places. You will get there Jackson. You are more than talented to do so.
Overall good win with much to improve. Maresca was excellent with his subs and placed each player in the right position to impact the game. Lets get the next W.
