AS Roma easily played the ball out from the back against Chelsea in the Champions League on Wednesday. The Blues did not have the wingers on the pitch nor the midfielders in the squad to contain the visitors in their own half.
Roma enjoyed 61% possession against Chelsea in their Champions League tie. In itself, contra the Jermaine Jenas Postulate, this does not say much about either side’s performance or strategy. However, Roma was able to play out of their own zone at a leisurely stroll as Chelsea did not have anyone in the XI that could effectively press Roma on the transition.
Chelsea played three central midfielders in their 3-5-2. David Luiz had a strong game as the deep-lying destroyer, and even he knew that he did not belong on a high press. Cesc Fabregas does not have the speed, agility or sense of urgency to contain the backs as they start to play out. Tiemoue Bakayoko is a strong presser, but without N’Golo Kante to balance him both left-right and vertically, he could not press without surrendering the midfield to Roma.
Without N’Golo Kante, Chelsea were bereft of their most effective midfield presser and their most reliable protector. Kante and Bakayoko, like last year’s Kante-Matic pair, had the rapport and ability to apply pressure without creating new vulnerabilities. No combination of Chelsea’s currently available midfielders can do that.
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By playing the 3-5-2, the Blues also took away the option of pressing wingers. Pedro’s freneticism and hummingbird-like movement harries the opposition ball handlers. They have to try to predict where his run will take him. In that hesitation they can make a sloppy pass or take an extra touch. At the very least, he buys Chelsea’s defenders more time to organize themselves.
Willian has a lesser effect, given the greater predictability of his movement. However, he can still close down the obvious pass lanes. Just having him there forces the opposition to adapt and get on with it faster than they otherwise would.
N’Golo Kante will not return until after the next international break. If Chelsea want to press any of their opponents between now and then, they will need to augment their front-line to include more than just Eden Hazard and Alvaro Morata.
Pedro is the most likely starter for that role. He is the most in-form winger and the most effective presser. Charly Musonda has the speed and energy, but he may not read the game well enough to press effectively and to keep himself in position to recover once the play moves past him. He is also still developing physically, and may not be strong enough in the tackle if he were to close down his man.
The other possible savior of Chelsea’s press is Danny Drinkwater. He could (emphasis on “could”) return to the lineup for the Everton game. He and Tiemoue Bakayoko could be a worthwhile pairing, given Drinkwater’s success alongside N’Golo Kante two season ago at Leicester.
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These are exactly the sort of trade-offs – tactics vs. people – that Antonio Conte hoped to avoid in the summer transfer window. The shallowness of the squad forces him to make choices that have no good options.