LONDON, ENGLAND – 30 NOVEMBER: Chelsea’s Mateo Kovacic controls the ball during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and West Ham United at Stamford Bridge on 30 November 2019 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Mike Hewitt / Getty Images)
The Blues were mishandled in Germany, but Frank Lampard gave some clues as to how he could use Chelsea next season.
When Antonio Conte’s Chelsea were beaten by Arsenal, he decided to change the formation to a 3-4-3. It failed to yield a result in that match, but the idea stuts and the Blues went on a rampage to win the league on a then historic trot.
Sometimes losses can give those glimpses in the future. While Frank Lampard is no stranger to making tactical adjustments for the opponent, a few features stood out against Bayern Munich despite the loss.
First is the lower line and more controlled press. Of course playing against a team like Bayern Munich, that makes a ton of sense. It kept Chelsea compact until their heads clearly fell and gave them a chance at breaking goals through Tammy Abraham or Callum Hudson-Odoi. The press that ruled also gave Bayern less space to work with when they went on the field.
Of the tweaks on the day, this is the one that went over the opponent more than a general desire to play. Chelsea had to do something to slow down Bayern Munich, and had Willy Caballero not given an early penalty early, it might have worked for the Blues. Once their task became even more difficult, shoulders and heads dropped and no tactics came about.
Another interesting note is that the initial formation was a 4-2-3-1 with Mateo Kovacic and N’Golo Kante in the pivot with a freer band of three for them. It’s been some time since Lampard used the formation that many expected him to run with this season and it made sense on the day. Two pivot players, often flanked by the wingers, forced Bayern to play wider and think harder about breaking Chelsea. It also gave the Blues more options in a deeper, more impressive midfield to play with the ball before looking for the direct pass.
Later in the game, however, Lampard adjusted again to a 4-3-3. Instead of N’Golo Kante playing the deepest, as he did, Kovacic emerged as the deepest player with Kante in a broader role. The Kante free kick 2 minutes into the match seemed wasted, as the shot was both short and off target. But was this actually a plan?
Kovacic has only briefly played as the deepest midfielder for Chelsea, mainly because it hinders his dribble. But given that he can do most anything, a ‘register’ is expected to do, but better than the player on the roster whose job it is, it makes some sense to use him there. The exact role of Kovacic has always been difficult to find next as a kind of “glue” between more defensive players and more offensive players. Using him in the role against Bayern worked, more or less and it could be an interesting indication for next season.
Mason Mount’s position next year is more or less locked in despite what the boo guys are saying as they set up the Xbox controller to comment. All the new signings, including the potential signing of Kai Havertz, would surely kick off starters. In midfield, only one spot will be available.
The past few weeks have taken care of Kante, but Kovacic has had a season too good to imagine. Kante’s injury problems, if they continue, could give Kovacic the opening to play deepest in midfield next season. It may not be ideal against certain opponents, but it was certainly not the problem against Bayern.
Now Chelsea have a week or so to go on holiday (as much as possible) before returning for “preseason”. New registrations are expected in addition to those already made and Frank Lampard and company will need to evaluate and reprogram for the new season. There are indications that this is all moving in the right direction, away from beat downs by Bayern, but there is still a lot of work to be done.
