Chelsea’s midfield shifted their problems without actually solving anything

Chelsea’s midfield did not provide the necessary connection between the defence and the forwards against Bournemouth, as the Blues could not find a way to counter the Cherries’ effectively simple set-up.

Perhaps the surest sign of Marcos Alonso’s total exile from Chelsea is how thoroughly he has been replaced by Mason Mount as the fans’* scapegoat. Mount is coming in for much disapprobation (if you know what that word means, you’re probably not one of the people slating him) over his performance against Bournemouth, but, predictably, for nothing he actually did.

Mount was just another attacker in search of the ball on Saturday. Particularly in the first half, Mount continually dropped deep to call for the ball from the centrebacks, who were not so much facing a press but just Bournemouth playing their midfield and forward line high up the pitch. None of the Cherries charged at Chelsea’s centrebacks or goalkeeper. They simply kept their 4-2 structure, knowing that would be enough to stymie Kurt Zouma and Antonio Rudiger into yet another pass to each other.

Reliably positioned in between those two Bournemouth lines was Jorginho. On defence, Jorginho had a solid performance. But in build-up, with N’Golo Kante and Mason Mount playing closer to Bournemouth’s defence than Chelsea’s, he allowed himself to be hemmed in by the six forward Cherries.

This gave Rudiger and Zouma no open passing lane up the middle. Jorginho was rarely in a position simply to receive the ball, let alone turn and pass under the pressure that would swarm in from some combination of six directions. The only way Jorginho was able to contribute to bringing the ball across midfield would be if the centrebacks played the ball out wide to a full-back near midfield, who would then pass it inside and back to Jorginho who, now facing up field as Bournemouth retreated into their defensive shape, could play it forward. The 8′ provided a perfect example of this up-back-through executed entirely in Chelsea’s half just to get the deep-lying midfielder involved in build-up play.

Jorginho adapted by moving to the side opposite of the centreback with the ball, creating a bit more space for that centreback to play it to the “non-Jorginho” side. Jorginho would then dart across to support the full-back or winger with the ball on the side.

Bournemouth responded by shifting to a 4-5-1 in those moments, which let them cover the extra width better. However, the move did not in any way help Jorginho integrate himself directly in the build-up.

As a result, Mason Mount would drop deep to provide a central option. But this took him out of position where Chelsea most need him: between the opponent’s defensive and midfield lines. If he received the ball from the centreback and turned to bring it upfield, the player who would be best suited to get it next in that sequence is… him. Since he’s not N’Golo Kante and can’t be in two places at once, the momentum fizzled.

Into the second half, Willian started coming back for the ball. This may have been an instruction from Frank Lampard, as Willian can do more and costs less from those positions than Mount.

This change may have been related to Chelsea’s centrebacks in the second half making fewer long diagonal passes, either switching play or on the same side towards a winger or full-back. These passes were an effective way for the centrebacks to bypass Bournemouth’s mid-block and the trapped Jorginho in the first half.

The centrebacks may have attempted fewer of these passes on their own. For starters, they were not exactly a sure thing. The long diagonal passes were just as likely to connect with a fan a few rows up as a teammate in Blue. And by this stage in the game, the effects of two starts in four days after not playing in three months started to catch up with Antonio Rudiger. Rudiger was less adventurous in his pass attempts and less successful in those he did try.

None of the adjustments solved the fundamental problems: bringing the ball from the defence to the forwards and then turning that into a chance on goal. Whoever cycled through midfield ended up adding more back-passes and sideways passing to the stagnation.

Willian made more passes to Cesar Azpilicueta and Antonio Rudiger than to all other Chelsea players combined. In fact, those two defenders were the only two players to whom he completed more than one pass.

Mount made seven passes to Rudiger and six to Jorginho, and four to Christian Pulisic. The American was the only forward to receive a pass from Mount.

Jorginho made 10 forward passes to N’Golo Kante and Mason Mount. Mount turned one of them into one of Chelsea’s best scoring chances of the first half. But all of Jorginho’s passes to his fellow midfielders and all but two of his passes to the full-backs occurred in Bournemouth’s half: after the Cherries had retreated, after other Chelsea players had brought the ball up-field without using their deep-lying playmaker and with the luxury of receiving and sending the ball while facing play.

No one Chelsea player had a great or terrible game against Bournemouth. As individuals and as a group they were just flat. Many of their adjustments merely shifted the problem rather solving any, and this allowed Bournemouth to hang on at 0-0 until they put away the chance everyone knew was coming.

*Fans or cultists? You decide. Let my colleague Kevin guide you.