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Chelsea vs Real Madrid: 4 Key Takeaways

By Ayushman Basu

ANN ARBOR, MI - JULY 30: Eden Hazard of Chelsea takes the ball around Francisco Casilla of Real Madrid to score his second goal during the 2016 International Champions Cup match between Real Madrid and Chelsea at Michigan Stadium on July 30, 2016 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
ANN ARBOR, MI - JULY 30: Eden Hazard of Chelsea takes the ball around Francisco Casilla of Real Madrid to score his second goal during the 2016 International Champions Cup match between Real Madrid and Chelsea at Michigan Stadium on July 30, 2016 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images) /
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ANN ARBOR, MI – JULY 30: Antonio Conte, Manager of Chelsea reacts during the 2016 International Champions Cup match between Real Madrid and Chelsea at Michigan Stadium on July 30, 2016 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
ANN ARBOR, MI – JULY 30: Antonio Conte, Manager of Chelsea reacts during the 2016 International Champions Cup match between Real Madrid and Chelsea at Michigan Stadium on July 30, 2016 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images) /

4. Time for a change in formation?

Regardless of the fact that Chelsea are in a tournament, it is still a friendly tournament, right? So no harm in trying new things? Surely anything will be better than trying out Loftus-Cheek as a forward.

After some matches with a 4-2-4 which turns into a 4-4-2 or a 4-5-1 during defence, Chelsea can make do with a formation change just to see how it works.

Chelsea should try a 4-3-3 (diamond). The club have not revisited this formation since the early years of Jose Mourinho and this season Chelsea has the players to deploy a vibrant 4-3-3.

Chelsea’s 4-2-4 exposes a weak midfield duo. Conte is prone to fielding one attacking-minded player (Fabregas, Oscar) and one defensive-minded (Matic, N’Golo Kante) midfielder as partners. This arrangement disrupts the midfield as the forward-minded player bombs on ahead leaving one player to take care of the whole midfield.

Moreover, misusing the attacking individual can hurt the defence. Oscar showed today how he can be a handicap when asked to play in a defensive midfield role.

In a 4-3-3 (diamond) Chelsea can have a defensively strong midfield while still injecting an attack from deep. Fabregas can safely tuck in between the four-man defence and the two-man defensive midfield in the front. This way, the defensive risk of a two-man, partially defensive midfield can be countered.

There is no harm in trying, is there? Could it really make things worse?

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