Chelsea beat Bournemouth 2-0 on Tuesday night of their first sport again after the World Cup break. It was a a lot wanted win and clear sheet after stumbling kind and poor performances earlier than the break.
There was one key ingredient for me that I seen that actually helped Chelsea get the sting over Bournemouth and make it a reasonably straight ahead sport from them in the long run, and that was the in-game change of form.
We’re beginning to see parts are available in to our play that has clearly been applied by Graham Potter and his workforce, and the form is certainly one of them.
I additionally counted about 4 strikes within the first half that Chelsea made that have been fast one-touch passing that set us up for an assault inside seconds. We have now hardly ever seen this at Chelsea in latest seasons, with our possession play usually being too sluggish and too laboured.
It was refreshing to see some fast actions and gamers additionally taking up these tougher and riskier passes; that’s what we must be seeing way more, worrying much less about protecting possession, and concentrating extra on our counter press once we do lose that possession.
However as I say, it was the in-game change of form that I actually seen as being key to the win. Potter is clearly seeking to play a again 4 because the mainstay going ahead, and on this sport we lined up in a 4-3-3.
The midfield was fairly staggered, with Jorginho on the base, Denis Zakaria barely forward on the best, and Mason Mount forward once more on the left, having essentially the most attacking position out of the three. It labored very nicely, and supplied good stability.
Out of possession we appeared a bit like this:
However in possession we appeared extra like this:
As you possibly can see, it appeared extra like a again three. Reece James virtually performs with no consideration midfielder, and Marc Cucurella drops deeper as extra of a centre again, or a slender full again. Mount was closely concerned within the assault, and Zakaria and Jorgi dropped barely.
One other key ingredient was Kai Havertz roaming in a free position. He performed as a 9, however he stored dropping in deep to get on the ball and get entangled in construct up play, and this drew defenders out of place, and allowed Raheem Sterling and Christian Pulisic to usually function in open areas. James becoming a member of the assault usually as nicely actually helped this, and most of our attacking risk got here from that aspect.
It’s good to see ‘Potter-ball’ when you like, beginning to take form. The change of form is simply one of many many issues that he and his teaching workforce have been engaged on in coaching. And it’s evident in addition they have an actual emphasis now on shifting the ball ahead a lot faster and taking much less time with mundane possession play going backwards and sideways. There’s a time and place for each kinds of play after all, and that’s why as all the time, stability is vital, as is determination making.
It’s all about getting numbers in attacking positions to penetrate, and the 4-3-3 permits for that loads higher than different formations. Midfield is vital to this although, and I’d not be so assured with out the bodily and energetic presence of Zakaria in there bringing extra of a defensive consciousness.
