Bayern Munich’s flexible buildup with Joshua Kimmich and Thiago at the heart of things helped them to gain control of the game against Chelsea’s 5-2-3 pressing. The movement of the likes of Thomas Müller and Serge Gnabry behind Chelsea’s midfield line proved hard for the home side to control. Bayern finally went ahead early in […]
Club football has entered its decisive phase, with lots to play for in every competition. Last week we previewed the first four matches of the knock-out stage. Today we focus on Tuesday’s ties of the most important tournament in club football: the Champions League. Article by Manasvin Andra, Kareem Bianchi and Joel Parker. Chelsea – […]
Olivier Giroud gave Chelsea an early lead amid a passive start from Spurs, which handed Chelsea control of the match early on. Spurs gradually became more aggressive as the game went on, but Chelsea’s pressing was suitably intense and was often able to stifle Spurs’ buildup. Marcos Alonso doubled Chelsea’s lead just after half-time, meaning […]
With Leicester City and Chelsea exchanging good spells on the ball, both were left disappointed as neither team could grab all three points. Brendan Rodgers and Frank Lampard installed effective pressing systems to go against the opposition building from the back, which created some brilliant football between two of the Premier League’s best teams. Tactical […]
An interesting tactical battle was developing at Stamford Bridge when David Luiz was dismissed after 25 minutes, and Chelsea subsequently took the lead. With ten men, Arsenal had next to no attacking output, but somehow managed to keep the game competitive, before Gabriel Martinelli capitalized on N’Golo Kanté’s slip to equalize. Arsenal sat back and […]
Jahanbakhsh’s spectacular bicycle kick ultimately drew what was a tactically rich game conditioned heavily by Brighton’s changes in midfield. In the first half, Chelsea initially dominated by exploiting the narrowness of Brighton’s midfield diamond, until Potter shifted his team to a flat 4-4-2 shape when defending and evened out the tables. During the second half, […]
Mikel Arteta’s initial changes sprung a more than successful surprise upon Chelsea, which eventually, was counteracted by Frank Lampard’s own intelligent tactical alterations. In the end, the side on the losing end could feel most hard done by given the circumstances of their defeat. Tactical analysis and match report by Peter Munnelly. In his home […]
Frank Lampard’s switch to a 3-4-3 system turned out well for Chelsea as they largely outplayed Spurs in all aspects of the game. Spurs struggled to build through midfield and were – not for the first time under Mourinho – reliant on direct means to move the ball forwards, while Chelsea found ball circulation relatively […]
In a scrappy, tight and intense affair, Duncan Ferguson’s first game as interim Everton boss could not have started better. Chelsea controlled the ball, but an aggressive low block and fast transitions in attack was enough to see the hosts gain an important three points. Tactical analysis and match report by Joel Parker. Everton have […]
Chelsea came to the Etihad with a positive attitude and looked to impose themselves on the game in a way that not too many teams do away at Manchester City. They were able to take the lead through N’Golo Kanté. City quickly replied through Kevin De Bruyne, and then began to find joy through De […]