Chelsea: Danny Drinkwater key to playing a four-man offence in the 3-5-2
By George Perry
Danny Drinkwater spent much of Chelsea’s game against Newcastle United high up the pitch, closer to Alvaro Morata than to his midfield colleagues. He is a space-creator in midfield and an essential part of Chelsea shifting to a four-man offence on the attack.
Danny Drinkwater played his first complete game for Chelsea on Saturday against Newcastle United. The Blues held 64% possession, which resulted in Drinkwater playing more like a winger than the midfielder he really is. Only Eden Hazard took more of his touches in more advanced positions than Drinkwater.
Watch EPL for FREE on fuboTV: Watch over 67 live sports and entertainment channels with a 7-day FREE trial!
One of the most noticeable consequences of Drinkwater’s forward play was the amount of space he left for N’Golo Kante. As Drinkwater poured forward at the van of the attack, he took his opposite number in midfield with him. This reduced Newcastle’s overall midfield presence, and demanded the remaining Magpie midfielders stand off of Kante. As a result, whenever Chelsea had the ball in transition in the middle third or on attack in Newcastle’s third, Kante faced no pressure from Newcastle. He had sufficient time and space to hold the ball while his teammates flowed into position, and to size up his next pass.
Cesc Fabregas would move forward and to the right, taking station to send a cross into the box upon receiving the ball. If he did not have a passing lane from N’Golo Kante, he could take a few steps into the space around Kante, take the ball there and carry it to his preferred pass position.
Must Read: Antontio Conte balancing form and fitness superbly to keep Chelsea running
Kante and Fabregas, then, became the midfield two while Drinkwater joined the attacking four. Along with Hazard and Morata, the opposite side wingback would balance Drinkwater. Drinkwater favoured the left, which brought Victor Moses onto the attacking line more than Marcos Alonso. This is as it should be, given Moses’ past as a winger and Alonso’s as a full-back.
Drinkwater is the most recent player to move up from the midfield line to give Chelsea a four-man front. Last season, one of the wing-backs – usually Victor Moses – would join Diego Costa and the two wingers up front. In the 3-5-2 this season, one wing-back and a midfielder would push towards the front-line. Cesc Fabregas and Tiemoue Bakayoko have played this role, but Drinkwater has done it the most effectively.
While Drinkwater effectively takes over the length and width of the opponent’s half, Bakayoko was more limited. He made strong vertical runs, but did not persist in the attack as a member of a four-man front-line. Bakayoko was more like Frank Lampard, shuttling box-to-box before making a late run into the open space at the perfect time (but minus Lampard’s impeccable finishing).
Drinkwater is also the latest player Antonio Conte has tapped to stretch his position, either to create space or flummox the opponent. Towards the end of last season and the beginning of this season, Chelsea would line up in a 3-4-3 but Pedro would play deep enough that the formation was effectively a 3-5-2.
Similarly, Chelsea’s three-man backline has become more of a four-man defence. Andreas Christensen’s sturdy presence frees Cesar Azpilicueta to move up as a right full-back, with Marcos Alonso playing like a left-back from the flank. Christensen and his left side partner – Gary Cahill or Antonio Rudiger – then play as traditional centre-backs in the deep, conservative station.
Next: Tactics and Transfers: Arjen Robben should return in January
Fluidity is a crucial component of Antonio Conte’s conception of perfection. He wants players who are sound in their position, not in a position. Few expected Danny Drinkwater to meet that standard, but he is another player to show that Antonio Conte’s deadline day signings are not to be underestimated.