Talking tactics: Chelsea host the corpse of Newcastle United

A half season has passed since Chelsea last played Newcastle. What is left of Rafa Benitez’s side may stumble their way into aggravating Maurizio Sarri.

Chelsea last played Newcastle early into Maurizio Sarri’s reign. Rafa Benitez had set his side up to absorb and counter the fledgling Blues side. Chelsea eventually overcame Benitez’s side thanks to a penalty and an own goal. The match showed early on that Sarrismo was a work in progress, especially when it came to penetration of a stingy opponent.

Since then, more and more hope has been drained out of Newcastle. Mike Ashley still wants to sell the club, but not for anything less than a premium. Meanwhile, he has no desire to invest in the team to ensure they can actually be an attractive club for buyers. And Benitez is stuck twiddling his thumbs knowing what Newcastle could be with some support.

To say Newcastle is a corpse stumbling from match to match may be a bit of an understatement. They seem like a team that can survive relegation under Benitez, but other than that there is no spark to them. Newcastle moves from match to match hoping that someday, finally, a new owner will breathe life back into their remains.

Tactically, it can be pretty well expected Benitez will line the side up similarly to how they set up last time (back in August, that if anything explains how little things have changed). It will be a 3-4-3 formation that Chelsea will immediately force into a 5-4-1 and keep it there.

Defensively, they will look to soak up space and prevent themselves from getting dragged around. This will likely force Chelsea into their usual “U” passing around midfield because no one wants to make a penetrative run. Playing right into Newcastle’s hands so far.

Offensively, well there is no point kidding anyone about that. Newcastle has nothing akin to an offense right now. They will basically launch it long, hope someone gets on the end of it, and then hope that player can take an accurate long shot. That is a whole lot of hope for a team that does not have a lot to go around right now.

So Newcastle’s basically going to go in and play for a point. Some might call it some avant-garde showcase from Benitez about how things are meaningless and that would probably be a fine assessment. Benitez wants the side to survive, but he and everyone involved seems to pretty well understand that they are just looking to stay up and hope Ashley finally sells so they can actually turn into something promising.

This match is going to either be a slog or a blowout. It largely depends on whether Chelsea actually tries to penetrate the box. Callum Hudson-Odoi has shown the most willingness to do that, but he needs a striker to aim for too.

If Sarri puts Hudson-Odoi on one flank and Eden Hazard on the other with a striker between them, Chelsea should be able to find the net. Otherwise, strap in for another 80 percent plus possession match that ends 0-0.