Chelsea’s crossing stats against Everton reveal the ease with which a well-organized and not particularly creative defence can negate the 3-4-3 with a false nine. The Blues did not have the right formation for this fixture, and did not adapt enough or in time to win.
Chelsea’s draw against Everton will be one more piece of evidence Antonio Conte will present to the board along with his requests for January transfers. Perhaps they will pay heed to this latest episode after seemingly brushing him off so many times before. Or, they may throw back in his face the question of Michy Batshuayi and ask why Conte does so little with the players he has now.
Chelsea average four completed crosses out of 16.8 attempts per game in the Premier League this season. Against Everton on Saturday, they completed four crosses. However, they attempted 35 – double the attempts to achieve the same output. Every outfield player except Tiemoue Bakayoko, Andreas Christensen and 71′ substitute Michy Batshuayi attempted at least one cross.
Chelsea’s persistent attempts at crossing border on the definition of insanity. At some point on the road to the Blues’ 35 crosses or Everton’s 57 clearances or 26 interceptions, Antonio Conte needed to recognize he had his plan or his personnel wrong.
Eden Hazard responded by playing the false-nine role more “falsely” than before. In recent matches in the formation he stayed on the front line, mostly in the centre and the left. Against Everton he dropped very deep to recover the ball and attempt to start the play. Many times he would be at or behind Chelsea’s midfield line to meet the ball. As necessary as it may have been, it took away what little reference point Chelsea had at the tip of the attack.
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His efforts amounted to nothing, though, because Everton closed all the gaps through which he could play a one-two, flick or through-ball to Willian or Pedro. The Toffees also owned the air, through a simple application of physics. Willian was the tallest member of Chelsea’s front-three, standing 1.75 m. Everton’s central defenders are 1.80 m (Phil Jagielka), 1.81 m (Morgan Schneiderlin) and 1.91 m (Michael Keane).
Antonio Conte finally brought on a true “target man” striker with Michy Batshuayi. However, Batshuayi came on with only 20 minutes remaining, and was the second substitute. Ten minutes earlier, Cesc Fabregas replaced Pedro. Fabregas offered more of the same, particularly in those 10 minutes before Batshuayi ran out.
As Antonio Conte pointed out in a recent press conference, the double-edged sword of the false-nine is how it removes the attacking team’s “reference point.” This is a feature when playing a dynamic defence, one that will be susceptible to trying to track the interchanging positions and constant runs of Pedro, Willian and Eden Hazard. But against a static defence wholly uninterested in man-marking a winger, the lack of a reference point is a fatal bug. Everton were perfectly set up to repel Chelsea’s harmless crosses and absorb 90 minutes of pressure.
The 3-4-3 with a false-nine is Antonio Conte’s “Plan C,” but even that may be overstating its value against teams like Everton. Chelsea need more options that involve a true striker. That, in turn, means buying another striker next month or making better use of Michy Batshuayi.
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Batshuayi’s performance in the 3-4-3 against Bournemouth midweek likely influenced Conte’s decision for Everton. The draw against Everton should similarly influence his lineup in coming weeks. Unless Alvaro Morata is to join Marcos Alonso in the “never rest” club, Conte must find new ways to use Eden Hazard and Michy Batshuayi, and prevail upon the board to buy a new striker next month.