Chelsea left the first leg of the League Cup semifinals with a one goal loss. But the Blues were the better team. What does this mean for the second leg?
“They were the better team and deserved more” is one of those pat on the back cliches people roll out after a loss to feel better about it. Being the better team without actually winning is one of those things that plays into the grand scheme of things but really does not matter when looking back.
Chelsea was the better team against Tottenham in the League Cup. But they still lost due to a VAR given penalty. History will remember it as a loss, but the immediate reaction is that Chelsea did alright for themselves. But what does that mean in context?
First of all, a reaction was needed after the last loss to Tottenham. The North London team beat Chelsea like a drum last time out. Perhaps that has been the cause of Maurizio Sarri reining the Blues in somewhat in recent weeks (particularly against the likes of Manchester City).
Sarri set the team up to stifle Tottenham’s forward momentum. The team pressed with three players (usually a winger, Eden Hazard, and Ross Barkley) and a winger in support on the far side. That band of four moved like a wave to force Tottenham to play the ball wide. Once that happened, Chelsea would have a wide diamond that would force a pass into an area where the fullback or centerback could easily win it back and move the ball along.
The plan worked, mostly. Chelsea not only stopped Tottenham from entering the final third well, but they also pushed them further and further back into their own half. Unfortunately, it took one mental lapse to cause the goal. Was it onside or off? The answer is that it does not matter. The penalty was given and converted.
Recent weeks would point towards Chelsea folding at this point. But instead of folding, they surged. They trusted in the plan they were given and it worked throughout. Without the penalty, Tottenham created practically zero chances. Chelsea showed that they had mental fortitude finally.
But, it was not enough. Tactically, Chelsea was superior in almost every way. The big missing piece was a common missing piece: penetration. Tottenham merely set up their block and let Chelsea pass around it without actually breaking through it. The only player who tried to, Callum Hudson-Odoi, had no one to aim at.
So Chelsea showed that they could be the better team without actually winning. Tottenham showed they could be the worse team and win. Considering the opposite has been true for years, it was a notable flip of the narrative.
But to win in the second leg, Chelsea will need to do the same exact things tactically but add something in the final third. A new striker alone will not fix the issue (and would likely make Chelsea defensively weaker if Eden Hazard plays wide). A new midfielder will not fix the issue if there is no one in the box to aim for.
Sarri has two matches in between to figure out how to get his Blues to find the back of the net. Hudson-Odoi showed that he had the needed spark, but he cannot do it alone. He will need Hazard to turn up and likely someone else to be fully involved too. The tie is still very winnable, but it will take more than a tactical victory next time. It will take an actual victory, which seems to elude Chelsea comfortably currently.