England Premier Soccer League
In the second round, there's an immediate power play between the giants, with Chelsea
Taking on visiting Tottenham on their home turf.
The focus of the match though was almost exclusively on the ring confrontation between the two skippers on the sidelines and the referee's controversial decisions ..... Nonetheless, it was the on-field maneuvering of the two tacticians that made this London derby so close and exciting. Without further ado, let's get straight to the analysis.
Information and photo credits:
Whoscored, FotMob, Eldar TV broadcast footage
[Statement]
The screenshots of the Alda TV broadcast are only for the purpose of supporting the article and to facilitate the sharing of opinions with fellow footballers on the station, without any intention to make profit.
This year it just happens to be the Premier League
The 30th anniversary of their establishment brings the number of times the two London teams have played each other to exactly 60. And in those 60 Premier League
Chelsea.
With 33 wins, compared to the North London side's 7 wins and a dismal 1 win on the road to West London, Tottenham Hotspur
In the league against Chelsea
s last win dates back to 2018 (excluding domestic cup matches).
As a result the Blues have a dominant head-to-head record and have almost completely outplayed the Spurs.
The car went over.
Both teams basically played the same lineup as in the previous game; Conte's side stayed the same in response to changes; as for Tuchel, they made some changes in the starting staff, with Reece James replacing captain Azpilicueta and placing Loftus-Cheek at right midfield.
This is an interesting move that has a big impact on the first half, so let's just keep it short and get right into the game.
Tottenham Hotspur after the start of the match
Continuing the tactics from last season and the opening game, the three central midfielders pulled back to make the most of the width of the pitch. The trio of midfielders were spread out to take full advantage of the width of the pitch, with the twin midfielders, usually Bentancur, dropping back to share the organizational work, and the twin arrows of Son and Kulusevski cutting slightly into the midfield to allow the two wingbacks to move up.
(This picture is of Tottenham Hotspur
(Preseason footage, but basically no different than at the beginning of this game)
More details on Tottenham Hotspur
Tactics, the author has previously had a brief analysis of its readers can refer to
Forward pressing section, Tottenham Hotspur
It's still a one-on-one approach
Conte's defense has always been known for its discipline, and after breaking through the press, Son and Kulusevski immediately stepped back to form a 5-4-1, and in this game the four midfielders narrowed down from the previous game, preventing Chelsea from
There are opportunities to penetrate from the midfield, leaving them with the option of attacking from the side.
Chelsea
This side obviously came prepared and did their homework before the game to target the ministry.
The Blues' defensive discipline in this game was commendable, and instead of taking the initiative to go out and force the opposing team's midfielders, the Blues resorted to disrupting the Spurs by obscuring passing routes
Organization, even against a wide-open Hotspur that pulled
Three central defenders, and a front line of defense that doesn't suffer from spreading out too far, forcing Spurs to
It was left to Lloris to kick off and give away possession.
As you can see below, Mount and Havertz are tightly linked in a two-man team to cover the line, and Kante, who is tasked with keeping an eye on Bentancur, also gets forward to prevent the ball from being taken. Even with the turn of the wing to Kulusevski back on the right side, Chelsea
The backline of the Tottenham Hotspur defense was also quick to move up and position themselves, not giving Tottenham Hotspur a chance to get back into the game.
Have a chance to get the ball in the middle of the field.
Offensively, after seeing a four-man midfield and cutting a narrow defense, Chelsea
The Blues have an obvious numerical disadvantage in the midfield, but as long as Jorginho is in the team, the Blues will have no problem with the pressing, and as long as the Italians are given a little bit of time, he will be able to turn the ball around and release the pressing quickly. Mount often pulls back from the weak side (the side without the ball), and once the pass is successfully passed to Mount's feet, he can quickly advance and Cucurella on the back for Overlap or Halfspace, forming a localized multi-hit game, which was seen quite a number of times in the first 15 minutes.
I can't imagine Chelsea.
There's also another move, a dynamic organization that converts to a four-guard formation, with Reece James moving up significantly to participate in the attack. This is where Tuchel's value in starting with Loftus-Cheek comes into play, with James and Havertz directly overloading the left side, creating a numerical advantage, and taking advantage of the Spurs
The gaps where the defense was not accounted for created a wave of very threatening attacks. Chelsea in the first half
Most of the threatening offense also came from the right side.
Loftus-Cheek, who is a midfielder in his own right, had a certain level of timing and defending going forward in this game, and as a Sting fan, I have to commend him for his performance in this one.
As for the first goal, it was a set piece defense, which has been criticized for years and still hasn't improved. I don't understand the purpose of leaving so much space for the opposite center back? To maintain the social distance of Covid-19?
