Chelsea travels to South London to end the year against Crystal Palace. Has anything changed tactically (or narratively) for Roy Hodgson’s men?
Chelsea defeated Crystal Palace 3-1 a little under two months ago. The Blues more or less had an easy time of it with Palace’s loan goal coming from a counter. But Alvaro Morata(!) was the hero of the day as his brace separated the two sides.
It was very much one way traffic for much of the match as Sarri’s side dominated and controlled the match. Only the counter, Chelsea’s greatest weakness this season, cost the Blues.
Maurizio Sarri should expect a similar game plan form his opposite Roy Hodgson. Crystal Palace remains a team keeping their head above water and they have gone under the radar this season. But as always, Palace is a bit of a bogey team for the Blues and no one knows when Hodgson will pull a card out of his sleeve that no one has seen before.
Of course, it is worth mentioning that Palace beat Manchester City a week ago courtesy of some fantastic goals. It is too simple to say “Chelsea has got this” when the Blues have been grinding out matches (in a “fun” way).
Palace will look to defend with numbers before countering through Andros Townsend and Wilfried Zaha. With Chelsea stubbornly sticking with a total zonal defense, Palace’s fast counters could be a real issue and that is exactly what they will play to.
But Zaha has yet to really stand out this season like he did last year and Townsend is Townsend. Both players can be stopped before they can build up pace and that is what Chelsea will need to do. If the Blues fail to pressure early enough, the back four will be put under pressure quickly and Zaha and Townsend will both be able to exploit small spaces all on their own.
So the key will be drawing Palace out a bit while keeping an eye out for those counters. Palace will want to pack it in and wait Chelsea out. Plenty of opponents in recent weeks have done the same to Chelsea and have found success. The Blues simply cannot create good chances when they have eight or more players in the final third smacking against a defense that will not commit.
Sarri could have his side buildup deeper and try to force Palace into committing. If the fullback, centermid, and centerback trio is passing it around in Chelsea’s half or at midfield, Palace may feel comfortably pressing and looking for a quick counter. Sarrismo, if done properly, would then allow the Blues to attack the vacated space before Palace can cope.
On paper, this should be a winnable match regardless of anything else. But again, Palace is a bit of a Chelsea bogey team and they showed not long ago that they can topple anyone on the right day. Hodgson is a tricky man who only plays at being overly conservative. This is a match where Sarri and Chelsea must be careful to avoid an embarrassment at the end of the year.