Chelsea’s tactical formation steadily becoming a 3-5-2 in name only
By George Perry
Chelsea lined up in their now-standard 3-5-2 when they took the pitch against West Bromwich Albion. That formation only lasted to the opening whistle, though, as they continued to shape themselves into Antonio Conte’s next suit.
Once Alvaro Morata gave Chelsea the lead, the Hawthorns became a training pitch for the Blues. Antonio Conte’s men had the run of the place, as West Bromwich Albion mustered little opposition – or even motivation.
Chelsea enjoyed the increasing freedom of play that came with each goal to explore and experiment with a new tactical formation. When Chelsea were in possession, Andreas Christensen and Gary Cahill were the only two centre-backs manning the back line. Cesar Azpilicueta pushed up to a right wing-back position, frequently taking the ball at the midfield line. Many of his touches were aligned with N’Golo Kante’s position on the pitch.
This pushed Davide Zappacosta forward towards the right wing. Zappacosta covered the full length of Chelsea’s right flank, often going deeper than Azpilicueta on defence as well as farther upfield than Cesc Fabregas or Eden Hazard.
On the left, Marcos Alonso played the most consistent role as a wing-back. His play was evenly distributed on either side of the midfield line. Alonso’s positioning and play was almost a perfect hybrid of Zappacosta’s and Azpilicueta’s on the opposite side of the pitch.
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The combined effect of these moves was to draw Chelsea towards a four-man defensive set-up. N’Golo Kante owned the wide area in the bowl scooped out by the two centre-backs and the two wing-backs / full-backs, Alonso and Azpilicueta. Kante’s protection gave Cesc Fabregas the centre circle and areas forward to serve passes to Eden Hazard and Alvaro Morata. Tiemoue Bakayoko moved freely around the space between Kante and the forwards, attacking open space while also covering Fabregas and Kante.
Like any Antonio Conte system, this emerging 4-1-3-2 relies on each individual player exactly fulfilling his role. Deficiencies ripple through his tactics, becoming visible even against an opponent who threatens as minimally as West Bromwich Albion did.
That said, Andreas Christensen may have had the biggest influence on Conte’s thinking. Chelsea’s three-man defence last season was a matter of necessity. Conte needed the sturdy platform that three centre-backs provide to launch the midfield movement, presses and attacks, particularly on the counter.
More precisely, Conte needed three centre-backs because he did not have two centre-backs to do the job. Cesar Azpilicueta’s height, Gary Cahill’s limited mobility and ball-handling and David Luiz’s David Luiz-ness all needed to be balanced out. Conte did not have two complete centre-backs, nor two centre-backs who sufficiently complemented and compensated for each other. He needed three simply because no two in Blue would do.
With Christensen and Cahill, Antonio Conte has two conservative, disciplined and physical centre-backs. Christensen’s calmness on the ball covers for Cahill, and Cahill’s experience and force complements Christensen’s. Chelsea are rarely in danger of either of them venturing forward and leaving the other or Thibaut Courtois exposed. Both are traditional defenders focused on the primary task of a defender: keeping the ball away from their goalkeeper. Sounds obvious, but is often forgotten.
Chelsea’s experience with a three-man back-line gives Antonio Conte tactical flexibility without having to change his lineup. Against a stronger opponent, Cesar Azpilicueta will tuck back in on the right of the defence, Davide Zappacosta will pinch back and the 3-5-2 will be back in force.
Next: Cesc Fabregas, Eden Hazard and Alvaro Morata a forceful unit in win
Whether Chelsea are changing their formation from game to game, mid-game or in the course of a play, Antonio Conte can play his beloved “chameleon” more this season than he could last year.