Chelsea talking tactics: Patience, vigilance needed against Burnley

It’s a quick turnaround for Chelsea, from Russia midweek, to Burnley this weekend. What can we expect from a side yet to hit its stride this season?

Sean Dyche’s Burnley is a well-oiled machine, make no mistake about that. Although the Clarets haven’t gotten the results they would have liked yet, Burnley kept Spurs on their toes for the full 90 minutes in their last outing. Considering Tottenham had scored 19 goals in its past four matches in all competitions heading into the fixture, a goal from a corner is all that kept the home side from a clean sheet and a point. They had good chances to score too, including Harry Kane having to head the ball off the line from a corner. Turf Moor can be a tricky place for teams to go, which is why Chelsea needs to be careful about what it wishes for.

The reality is Burnley sits 18th in the Premier League at the moment, having picked up just one point from the opening five league games—a 0-0 draw away at newly promoted West Brom. Things haven’t quite clicked for the Clarets yet, especially in front of goal. Burnley has the joint-lowest amount of goals scored in the Premier League so far, having found the net just three times. Of those three, two came in the opening 4-2 loss at Leicester. As good as the Clarets can be defensively, they’ve been shy in front of goal so far, which is something that a confident Chelsea defense wants to hear.

Dyche rarely changes Burnley’s system, so expect him to line his side up in the tried and tested 4-4-2 against the Blues on Saturday. Changes to the starting XI don’t happen too often either, so a similar squad to the one that hosted Tottenham will likely be present. The Clarets will sit off the Blues as Chelsea will have plenty of possession. This is why Frank Lampard’s squad needs to be patient as it was against Krasnodar. Maybe, as seen in that game, a little bit of luck could set the Blues on their way against a side that will sit in and make it difficult for the opposition to break down.

Burnley will look to hit Chelsea on the counter attack—playing directly as it so often does—and will try to get the ball into Chris Wood to hold the ball up for the wingers. The Blues will have to be vigilant to watch the runners and strong in order to win the ball back from those holding up play. Burnley maintains its shape in attack and defence, moving cohesively as a unit up and down the pitch.

Lampard started with a 4-2-3-1 at Krasnodar before bringing on substitutes that shifted the formation to a 4-3-3. It felt like the Blues were unleashed late on with fresh legs, scoring three goals in 14 minutes—although it could be argued the home side had run out of steam. Against a Burnley side that will sit back, Lampard may be convinced to go with a 4-3-3 from the off to get at the Clarets early on and put them under intense pressure. It seems Chelsea can utilise its more creative players much better in this way, especially now Hakim Ziyech has his first full competitive 90 minutes for the club under his belt.

Given goalkeeper Edouard Mendy has kept four clean sheets in all of his last three games—including two Champions League games and a trip to Manchester United—Lampard may consider taking the shackles off now he can trust his back line a bit more. After all, it may be just what Chelsea needs to beat Burnley.