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Chelsea vs Spurs Tactical Review –
– Lampard's excellent tactical nous.
– Has Kovacic finally found his best position?
–What Tammy offers at #9
Disclaimer: All footage used is for educational purposes only (fair use). Copyrights are with the Premier League and Chelsea FC.
– Lampard's excellent tactical nous.
– Has Kovacic finally found his best position?
–What Tammy offers at #9
Disclaimer: All footage used is for educational purposes only (fair use). Copyrights are with the Premier League and Chelsea FC.
Chelsea and Spurs have done very well so far. Both have one of the best attacks and defences in the league, and an unbeaten streak to protect. With two tactically proficient managers, it was never going to be free flowing. Lampard set up knowing Mourinho would wait for breaks.
So how did Jose set up? In their 4-2-3-1, either of their double pivots, Hojbjerg/Sissoko, could drop in defence to make it 3 atb. This allowed Reguilon and Aurier to play as WBs, forcing James/Chilly to stay deeper and avoid leaving space in behind for Son/Bergwijn on counters.
Here, you can see Sissoko dropping to RCB to make it 3 atb. This allowed Spurs to have two CBs vs Werner and Abraham, and the third could position himself to make it a 2-1 against Werner/Tammy, or to cut off balls into space.
Aurier in a back 4 is defensively suspect, and Jose knew. This is why the back 3 shape was important. Here, Mount is behind Chilwell as 3rd CB, and Aurier presses Chilwell at the halfway line. Normally, Timo would now have enough space in behind, but Sissoko as 3rd CB prevents it
When Spurs win the ball, 1 of 4 forward players – Kane, Son, Bergwijn, Ndombele, drop into space and break through lines with a powerful run or a quick pass. Here, all 4 pass and move into spaces, and Reguilon as WB is able to bomb ahead. This is why Lamps told James to stay deep
Spurs' prowess on the break is superb. They are lightning quick, and a misplaced pass is trouble. Lampard didn't fear the threat of a counter, he anticipated it; besides keeping James deeper, he also instructed him to stay narrow. Here, it allows him to prevent a through to Kane.
With a double pivot sitting in front of the defence, it was inconvenient for our forwards to drop to #10. So we had to try and make openings from wide. Here, the moment Thiago Silva receives the ball, Ziyech makes a run inside, dragging Hojbjerg inside and making space for Reece.
Here's the attack in real time. As Ziyech pulls Hojbjerg in, James has space. However, what follows is near fatal. Thiago's long ball is underhit, and now both Ziyech and James are stuck high with Reguilon, Bergwijn breaking. The brilliant Kovacic saves us from a dangerous break.
How did we set up? we used a mix of 4-4-2 and 4-1-4-1 in def. transitions, the latter Lamps tried with Jorgi vs Rennes. You can see Timo has dropped in to LW and Ziyech is out of frame at RW with only Tammy up front. Kante has dropped between defence and midfield to mark out Son.
Spurs pressed City's back 3 (Walker, Laporte, Dias) and mid 2 (Cancelo, Rodri) with Kane, Ndombele. The problem was that City were static, and it was always Walker making a 3 atb. We go to a back 3 in many ways (Mount, Chilly LCB, Kante CB, James RCB). This unsettled Spurs' press
Our way of pressurising Spurs was to prevent them from playing out so we could win the ball high. Here, Tammy is on Hojbjerg, Ziyech covers Reguilon, Mount is on Sissoko and Werner has Aurier. Dier has no short option. He tries to go long to Bergwijn, and Kovacic intercepts.
Here's another instance of how we cut out their passing options. Werner is between Aurier and Rodon, Abraham covers Hojbjerg, Ziyech between Dier and Reguilon, Mount on Sissoko and Kovacic on Bergwijn. We allow them no time, no options, no rhythm.
As the pivot, Sissoko can't keep dropping into a back 3 all the time, otherwise Mount is free in midfield. So he presses Mount, who drifts, opening a passing lane to Timo. Timo drops deep, dragging Aurier with him, and a delightful touch leaves both Sissoko, Aurier struggling
Now, to why Lamps likes Tammy as a 9. Last season, Tammy's aerial duel% was a miserable 37.9%. Link up play was poor. In our 4-1-4-1, he's the lone, direct outlet. When Silva clears, Tammy chases down Rodon, wins the 1st header and holds him off long enough for Mount to arrive.
His link up play is also getting better. Werner's offside goal was primarily down to him winning the ball back and slipping in Mount. Contrary to some ridiculous views on FT, Mount chooses the right option. A through to Ziyech would have been on his weaker foot with a bad angle.
He's also magnificent with his feet for someone who is 6'3. Here, he drifts to the right and pulls Dier out with him. With a few excellent feints, he leaves Dier in the dirt and bursts into the box. Dier has given away pens in similar situations, so he panics. We win a corner.
A new feature in his game this season has been dropping to midfield to create an extra man, and making a gap in behind for Werner or one of our 8's to exploit. This is a position Kane loves, being using to feed Son/Bergwijn. This is very encouraging to see from a young striker.
Here is what him dropping to midfield does. First, Rodon follows him, leaving a huge gap in behind for Werner or Mount to run into. Second, when Tammy passes and moves into the box, it allows him to run at a static Dier, which is always a huge advantage when you're a forward.
This is the previous attack in real time. Make space for runs in behind, and then runs at Dier. Ziyech's ball is slightly behind him. A slightly better position, and the fact that Tammy has a run on Dier would have made it very difficult to defend.
Kovacic's ability to weave out of trouble, acceleration from a standing start and a tireless engine don't just allow him to escape pressure, it allows him to inflict it relentlessly. He made interceptions, tracked Son, Ndombele, Reguilon, Bergwijn all afternoon. World class.
Like Tammy, Kovacic is also showing his willingness to add to his game to become a more complete midfielder. As the right sided 8, he arrives in the dangerous half space and puts in a good cross. He then moves to the edge of the box to track any potential runners.
When we have the ball, he runs into the right channel to drag a man away. This allows Ziyech to drop in half space from where he can shoot or cross far post. Kova doesn't score many, but in this side he doesn't have to. He keeps it simple and makes space for more clinical players
Abraham had an average game as he missed many chances (which everyone saw hence I didn't put them up), but my focus was to highlight what he does off the ball and why he is making a case for starts. He is adding new dimensions to his game, and that should be respected, not mocked
Many were unhappy with the result, but I felt Lamps had his tactics spot on. We restricted Spurs to one shot on target, and no shots in the 2nd half altogether. Had we converted Tammy's chances, Werner's offside goal or Giroud's lob, this game plan would've been hailed as perfect
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