Southampton tried familiar strategies against Chelsea

Mark Hughes clearly studied what other tactics have worked against Chelsea. But Maurizio Sarri and the Blues figured them all out and conquered.

It is not unusual at all for managers to watch the opponent’s recent matches to see what has worked and what has not. In fact, it is basically what everyone at the top level does. But it is one thing to watch and know what to do and another to do it.

Mark Hughes clearly copied a few strategies that have worked against Chelsea this season. That is a smart thing for him to do. But he did not take those strategies and place them within his own framework. He copied them exactly. So Chelsea, having seen these strategies already, knew what to do against them.

The first strategy was a mix of a formation that worked well for others (the 3-5-2) and Liverpool’s patience. 3-5-2 quickly turns into a 5-3-2 when pressed heavily. That makes space around the back very hard to find and frustrates teams like Chelsea who are hesitant to play down the center with through balls or take long shots.

Copying Liverpool’s strategy was interesting because it almost worked. Liverpool sat off and let Chelsea come at them. As the Blues became more and more comfortable with their dominance, they left greater space in behind. So when Southampton started to attack rather than just clear randomly, they found plenty of space to run into.

But Chelsea coped well thanks to a few key moments in defense. The Blues quickly readjusted to the sudden pressure against them and leveled the game back out. During this period, the Blues went two up. That is when Southampton reverted to West Ham’s strategy (and also a strategy Hughes’ teams commonly fall back on anyways); if you cannot beat them, hack them down.

The Blues remained calm as the Saints ran up the yellow card count. Unlike West Ham, where it got into their head a bit and they backed off, Chelsea kept pressing on. Hughes tried to get more and more numbers behind the ball, but Chelsea just kept finding spaces in the ever changing back line.

It is good that Chelsea is learning from what they have struggled with. Overall, the Blues were dominant throughout the game no matter what Hughes threw at them. Maurizio Sarri never looked worried because the Blues were trusted to know what to do.

Was it fully, 100 percent Sarrismo? Not entirely. Flashes of brilliance abounded it, but it was not completely there. The Blues created a lot of chances but struggled to add to the one goal tally early on. Eventually they did, but it was largely a struggle beforehand.

This team is close to being what they can be this season. Ahead of time per Sarri’s estimates. The Blues remain undefeated in all competitions (sorry Community Shield fans, it is only a friendly with more pomp). So yes, this team can get better yet despite already being pretty solid. And they have shown adaptability in their approaches to solving situations.

The Blues head into the international break with spirits high. Next up will be maybe-Jose-Mourinho’s Manchester United. It will be yet another solid test to show just how far along in the process Sarri’s men are currently.