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Chelsea is settling into a very consistent pattern in their matches. Newcastle showed the same when the Blues squeezed the life out of the Toons.
Much has been said about whose tactics are most like Frank Lampard. Generally the consensus here on Pride of London is Carlo Ancelotti, with a touch of José Mourinho and a deep admiration for Jurgen Klopp’s. However, Chelsea’s recent career has been markedly different not in who is where on the pitch, but in how they control the game as a whole. In that sense, it’s as if Guardiola’s patience and Klopp’s risk versus reward have been combined.
Managing the game was a huge weakness for the Blues even early in the season. The Blues had only one speed: ridiculous. They would receive the ball and immediately seek to bring it as quickly as possible to the opponent’s goal. He was run over and if even a pass missed Chelsea was in the wind for a counterattack.
What changed? Chelsea has started to mimic a python in its tactics. That has become something of a prophecy in itself, as the games follow a very similar pattern. Scoring is tight at first, but then like clockwork the Blues drift away around the hour mark. How is this happening?
The first part is from Guardiola’s manual, particularly the Barcelona chapters. Chelsea could stack up early to create an advantage, however small. After that, patience becomes the name of the game. Blues slow the game down to a routine with the opponent constantly chasing the ball. This is not only physically exhausting, but mentally as well, given how well the midfield and Chelsea wingers move with the forward and the wingers. Turn it off for a second, either in position or in position, and it’s game over.
The second part is from Klopp’s playbook. Klopp isn’t afraid of his team playing a stunt pass or attempting a wild shot. In the worst case, the opponent recovers the ball but defensively. Their teams push quickly to force a long ball or simply recover the ball. Either way, Klopp is confident his team will regain possession quickly. Lampard’s Chelsea follows a similar pattern.
The Blues patiently play the ball until there is a clear opening for a forward pass or shot. Without hesitation they take it. If it comes out, great! If not, the whole team pushes to force the error. Lately, the Chelsea press has been more than enough to recover the ball and restart the play.
This all culminates around the general time mark. Whatever the score, the opponent is mentally and physically exhausted at this point. The Blues just relight their own gas. It happened against Newcastle, Sheffield United, Rennes, Burnley and Krasnodar. In fact, it has been something of a prophecy since the winning race began. Blues attack early, squeeze the life out of the opponent, and then finish the job.
At halftime during this run, the Blues have rarely looked impressive. But at full time, the score looks “flattering” with Chelsea comfortably ahead. They are playing less of a light show all the time and more patient and methodical.
Where could this go wrong then? As Lampard said shortly after, when “control becomes comfort“. All that possession isn’t there just to give the Blues a break, it’s there to wear down the opponent. If that turns into complacency, the opponent can find his way back to things.
Furthermore, Guardiola’s tactics work so well in part because opponents naturally don’t know what their teams can do. Of course, all he does is put the opponent right where Guardiola wants him: cornered and scared. If an opponent comes out to pressure Chelsea or has the energy to survive the squeeze, the Blues will find the team exhausted.
One last way the opponent can cause problems for Chelsea is through man marking. Chelsea generally attack in a 2-3-5 fashion, so if an opponent defends at 5-3-2 and pairs one-on-one, it can hinder progress. Other training could take a similar approach to sacrificing one by one by overloads, but the man who branded the key players in the accumulation (basically all but the plants) could cause problems Blues.
Of course that’s where Klopp’s “risk versus reward” part comes in again, but Lampard needs to make sure his team doesn’t lean too far into it and finds himself playing with the lights out and out of control like earlier in the season. .
Rennes is likely to face this same formula during the week, but Tottenham next weekend will be the true first test of this race. Can the Blues surround and squeeze Tottenham? Or will José Mourinho’s Spurs put Chelsea in the rear? The team must be prepared for both.
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