Tactical Breakdown: Pochettino’s Chelsea
Breaking down the initial tactical framework of the Argentine’s blues.
Tactical Setup
As we’ve seen from his reigns at Southampton, Tottenham and PSG, Pochettino’s infamous 4–2–3–1 has been integrated during his newest managerial stint in west London. In his first press conference with Chelsea, he was asked whether or not he believes himself to be a better manager now compared to his time at PSG, to which he replied, “By far, much better”.
As such, the way Pochettino sets up his system has changed quite evidently since his last managerial spell, perhaps as a way to keep up with the shifts to this approach in the Premier League. Roberto De Zerbi, Pep Guardiola, Mikel Arteta and Jurgen Klopp all transitioned to using a box midfield at one stage or another across the last campaign, clearly signifying both numerical and tactical superiority over the majority of opponents they faced. Lots of these are formed differently, most notably with full-backs inverting inside to sit with a holding midfielder, and pushing two eights further forward. With Chelsea, however, the profile of full-backs being more akin to those of wing-backs provides Pochettino with different routes to reach the box.
From the preseaon games we have seen so far, Pochettino has used two consistent full-back pairings, being Marc Cucurella and Reece James, and Ben Chilwell and Malo Gusto. James and Chilwell are seen as the greater attacking threat, and as such push up to be apart of the front three or five, with their partnered full-back coming inside and sitting deeper as part of a back-three. When James has played on the right hand side, Maatsen has typically been the starting “winger”, but moves into the box midfield in possession to create both a midfield and attacking overload, and his role here can best be seen in the game against Newcastle, in which he comes inside and slips a ball in behind for Jackson.
The other aspect of significance for this approach is the tilt dynamic (@ConnorHolden00 on twitter speaks very well on this) embedded within the setup.
In this instance, there is a tilt towards the right hand side, with the bulk of the Chelsea team shifted towards the right and with players in close proximity to one another. Players being close to each other for quick interchanges have been key to the fluidity of Poch’s play so far, and has led to some very nice passages of play and quick progressions from back to front, such as the Jackson goal against Newcastle, or Mudryk’s goal against Brighton following a nice linkup with Jackson. We can also see that the left-sided defender (Cucurella) and left winger (Mudryk) are far more isolated. For a player like Mudryk this is very key.
Last season, Mykhaylo Mudryk was often unable to really affect games due to the lack of space he was given to play in, often leaving him to drop to receive the ball short, and then drive forward himself. As per FBREF, Mudryk ranks in the 21st percentile for wingers in terms of progressive passes received (at 0.22 per 90), showing the little service given to Mudryk in advanced positions out wide. With his pace, we know how Mudryk likes to burn into space and get into advanced positions as quickly as possible, and with the tilt this is finally achievable. Due to the heavy focus on the right hand side in this scenario, opposition players are drawn in, with Mudryk left free along the left hand side. With players such as Enzo able to switch play with diagonal passes, and Levi Colwill’s passing range, he could finally be provided with the service he was crying out for last season. Another combination of this seen in preseason is Levi Colwill and Ben Chilwell on the left, with Colwill tucking in and Chilwell making adventurous runs down the left to be found by Colwill’s line-breaking passes.
Despite this, certain issues could arise from the profiling used and the clashes this may cause. Chilwell and Mudryk (in this particular setup anyway) would clash, with the two looking to make the same runs and occupy the same spaces, and as such it is a combination that hasn’t really been seen throughout preseason, especially with Chilwell not really being seen as suited to be one of the full-backs to drop into the back-three. There are also continued issues with playing Cucurella there, still often having decision-making concerns in being overly aggressive and proactive when approaching challenges, then consequently being easily bypassed. In my personal opinion, the best alternative to this potential issue is to play Levi Colwill as a de facto left back on the team sheet, for him to then tuck in and have Reece James as the full-back that pushes forward.
Why Colwill? Well, he possesses many attributes that enable him to be the perfect wide and isolated defender in the tilt. Much like how City deploy Nathan Ake, he is certainly well skilled and athletic enough to defend high and wide, especially able to cut out long balls seeking wide players as he ranks in the 95th percentile of central defenders for aerial duels won per 90 (3.32). Not only this, but he is the best suited player in the squad to feed Mudryk the ball out wide and into space, finding himself in the 92nd percentile for progressive passes completed per 90 (5.16), starkly contrasting with what Mudryk has been “receiving”.
Needed Profiles
As we’ve seen from the departures this season, and even the recurring issues within the midfield since players such as Nemanja Matic have left the club, a holding or certainly defensively orientated midfielder is a must. It should be imperative that the characterisation of the midfield is decided before venturing too far into the season, with Enzo Fernandez and Conor Gallagher currently the only “senior” players deputizing the midfield. From what we have seen in preseason, Andrey Santos certainly looks ready to become a squad option for the midfield, and Cesare Casadei also looks impressive, however it is expected that he will go on loan. Due to a lack of defensive presence, there have been instances in preseason where the midfield is easily bypassed and leading to big chances for the opposition, leading to an over-reliance on the defence themselves to prevent goals.
While there are certainly players in the squad able to play in the pivot, Enzo will be the main constant there for the upcoming season. He can certainly play as the deeper lying player in the pivot, however his true capabilities are shackled due to him having to play such a deeper role. As such, it is imperative to sign an all-action and defensively-able midfielder to partner with him. Therefore, the most obvious and most touted option for this role is Moises Caicedo.
Where Enzo succeeds in his passing and progressive metrics, Caicedo offers balance with his impressive defensive metrics. He ranks in the 87th and 89th percentile for tackles and interceptions respectively, showing just how adept he is at sniffing out danger and dealing with it in midfield. Even with his defensive attributes, he is still a competent passer of the ball, placing in the top 16% of midfielders for passes attempted per 90, and more impressively boasting an 88.5% completion rate, finding him in the 94th percentile of midfielders. He also covers his fair share of ground, as shown by his heatmap from last season, which also balances out nicely with his ability to hold his position, able to be both proactive in stopping attacks and more conservative.
However, there have been clear issues in negotiations between Brighton and Chelsea, with those negotiating on behalf of Chelsea unwilling to reach Brighton’s asking price of around £100 million. So, a potential, more cost-effective alternative should, in my opinion, be Valentin Rongier.
Statistically, Rongier is very similar to Caicedo, boasting almost identical passing and defensive metrics. However, he does have a slightly different dimension to his game, having far greater metrics in terms of progressive passing and carries as opposed to Caicedo, finding himself in the 86th and 70th percentile respectively (compared to 74th and 38th for Caicedo). Not only this, but defensively his blocks are also far superior, with such metrics in the 68th percentile compared to Caicedo in the 50th. While he isn’t necessarily the profile of player the new Chelsea regime would look to sign, he brings plenty of experience at 28 years old (something which is desperately needed in midfield going into a Premier League season), and has 289 career appearances for both Marseilles and Nantes. He also adds leadership qualities, being one of the captains at Marseille, and his tireless work ethic would be loved by Poch.
Another position that may be looked at for reinforcement is the right wing position, but more so in terms of the profile of player that will start wide but come inside to form the box midfield, such as Ian Maatsen, especially following departures and a lack of depth at attacking midfield. While Michael Olise has been linked to fit this and is a profile I personally like a lot, he is a player more akin to a Riyad Mahrez that looks to hug the touchline to provide width as opposed to helping out centrally, and so my personal preference for this role would be Mohammed Kudus.
Kudus is the ideal profile to provide versatility in attack, especially with his ability to drop into midfield and play deeper. His attacking metrics are absurdly good, placed in the 98th percentile and beyond for non-penalty goals, non-penalty xG, pass completion % and successful take-ons per 90 when compared to other attacking midfielders and wingers. His ball-striking should also be desired, with a powerful and ruthless technique that more times than not leaves keepers with no chance, something Chelsea have missed since players like Diego Costa and the occassional David Luiz long-shot. He is also left-footed, giving him the scope to be able to cut in on his stronger foot from the right, and the ability to be open-bodied when playing in a box-midfield to both receive the ball and play it on further.
Liverpool (H) Predictions
With only one preseason game remaining, it would be unlikely to see any new signings from now on be used from the start in the Blues’ opening game against Liverpool. As such, I think the safest option would be to partner Andrey Santos with Enzo Fernandez in midfield, due to the tenacity of the young midfielder and the confidence he has in build-up, able to fearlessly show for the ball and resist the press almost effortlessly at times. The defence is probably the hardest to call at the moment, mostly because of the full-back situation. Going forward, I believe Mudryk would be the most effective option to attack the space created by the tilt and what may be left by Liverpool’s own box-midfield system. The caveat of this is that Cucurella would likely be the full-back option, which could be detrimental due to his defensive issues and with his opponent most likely being Mohammed Salah. Personally, I would like to see Colwill in this position to cut out long balls from van Dijk to Salah, and being the most defensively competent and “Mudryk-facilitating” option.
Overall, these are two sides who have recently been separable only from the penalty spot, and with the renewed intensity throughout the squad this is likely the best chance to beat the Reds within 90 minutes. Starting the season positively should be the ultimate aim, and I believe that with the vast improvements we’ve seen tactically, physically and mentally, Chelsea are certainly in good stead to do so.
