Three lessons for Chelsea on tactics, players from England’s win in Spain

The Nations League may not (yet) have much significance or import, but it is enough to certify as historic England’s victory over Spain. Chelsea can take some important lessons from the match about tactics and players.

Have you heard the one about the team who had 72% possession, made over 700 passes and enjoyed a 23-5 shot advantage while playing a 4-3-3 in a game that ended with a one-goal margin? No, not Chelsea. Spain. The main difference between the two sides is that Chelsea have been winning such contests, whereas Spain lost. This makes it an even more important learning opportunity, as it could help save the Blues from a similar moment down the road.

1. Not all 4-3-3’s are created equal

Both England and Spain lined up in a 4-3-3. This was England’s second game as such under Gareth Southgate, while Luis Enrique adhered to Spain’s de facto national formation. The two sides executed the tactics quite differently from each other, and from how Chelsea are playing under Maurizio Sarri.

As Sebastien Chapuis pointed out on Twitter, Spain have pushed possession-based football to the point of self-parody. It is possession shorn of purpose, as shown by their inability to create – let alone close – in the final third. Of their 23 shots, only five were on target. Only three of those came from inside the box, and only one in the first half.

Chelsea have approached similar levels during their Premier League campaign. The games against Newcastle, Bournemouth and PAOK, in particular, showed the emptiness of possession, passing and control if it does not result in offence. Chelsea controlled the ball against these teams, but those opponents arguably controlled the game. Did Chelsea make all those passes because they willed it so, or because their opponent did? Dude, I know.

The same dynamic played out in Sevilla. England had 28% of the ball and five shots. But three of those shots were on target, and those three shots went into the net. England played a counter-attacking variant of the 4-3-3, allowing Spain time and comfort in their 4-3-3 and then exploiting it with direct plays up the centre of the pitch. England did not have long spells of possession or double-digit pass build-ups, but they had effective transitions, outlets and goal creation. And Spain had no response when it came time to counter-press England or penetrate England’s defence.

Chelsea must avoid the possession trap and use their time on the ball to build towards something. They did this well against Liverpool and Southampton, showing important progress since the earlier games against compact, low block defences.

The next opponent, though, is Manchester United. Jose Mourinho has made his career by combining the compact, low block of a bottom-half team with the marauding counter-attack of a team who, well, has won all the things he has won. In short, Chelsea vs. Manchester United could go a lot like Spain vs. England if the Blues do not have Sarrismo solutions against the double-threat Mourinho – like Gareth Southgate – wields.