Explaining Chelsea’s 3-4-3 to Jose Mourinho (and others who struggle with it)

Jose Mourinho has shot another thinly veiled dig towards his former employers at Chelsea. The Manchester United manager lashed out at the most handsome manager in Chelsea history – Antonio Conte – and his tactics.

Before I begin, Jose Mourinho threw his latest strop at Chelsea on the same week that this happened:

Coincidence? I think not.

After Manchester United’s 3-0 victory over Basel, Mourinho scoffed at a journalist’s question on their formation.

"I think they followed the trendy tactic of five in the back that some of your colleagues like to call three but they are totally wrong, it is five. – Football365"

It’s classic Mourinho. He’s not even deflecting blame, or diverting eyes from a defeat. He’s calling Chelsea out.

The Blues have an obvious stereotype hanging over their heads about defensive football. This started around the same time a certain Special One took charge, and has been amplified by an Italian manager taking the helm.

However, with or without Mourinho’s comments, there has been an interesting debate about the three at the back vs. five at the back system.

A formation for a football team is fluid. There are four phases to a football game: defence, transition into attack, attack and transition into defence. Each phase will showcase a different formation.

Do Chelsea play five at the back? Yes, when rooted in a defensive structure the five-man wall in front of Thibaut Courtois is clear for all to see.

Really, the only time Chelsea play a fully-fledged three man back-line is in the transition to attack and the transition to defence. When in attack, regular wing-backs Victor Moses and Marcos Alonso are so far forwards they could be classed as wingers.

Must Read: Chelsea's 3-4-3 alternatives: Is 3-1-4-2 the future for Antonio Conte's Blues?

Chelsea  regularly sit back – showing a five man defence – against the top six. They then hustle with the ball forwards – showing just three sitting defenders – against the rest of the league.

Chelsea show an interesting aspect of their formation when playing the weaker teams and when in possession . One of the wide centre-backs (usually Cesar Azpilicueta or Gary Cahill) will step forwards to offer an outlet. He effectively becomes a central midfielder, leaving just two centre-backs in defensive positions.

Pass maps are a great indicator of what formation a team is playing. They show the average positioning, touches and direction of passes from each player on a team.

Here are the pass maps (and xG plots – an article for another day) from Chelsea’s most recent three matches:

While the midfield and attacking players positions can look a little messy – such is the nature of the positions compared to the rigidity of the defensive positions – the centre-backs are unquestionably in a three-man line, with wing-backs pushed high and wide into the midfield.

Defensive football, attacking football, five at the back, three at the back. None of this really matters when you’re winning the league, right?

Mourinho is a merchant for trouble, and he knows what he’s doing. However, defensive football has an odd stereotype from fans and journalists alike. While it can stifle the spectacle of games, there is an art to it.

Antonio Conte is perfecting his system at Chelsea, based around three centre-backs and phenomenal positioning. The 3-4-3 / 3-5-2 morphs seamlessly from defence into attack.

Next: Stability eludes Chelsea's defence with David Luiz's ban

The counter attacks are so rapid and tactical nous so supreme that it goads even the most Special of managers into misconstruing the shape.