Chelsea: Three key clashes for Sheffield United ahead of break

Chelsea hosts Sheffield United on the eve of a (stupid) international break. What key clashes will determine the Blues versus Blades battle?

Chelsea’s on a bit of a run after all the hoopla that followed back to back 0-0 draws (the first of Frank Lampard’s tenure). It has been nearly eight hours since the Blues conceded and, somewhat underhyped, the club ha been on a scoring run as well. In the three matches since the draws, Chelsea has had a goal difference of 10 goals. Sheffield United may be having a terrible start to the season, but they still finished high last season. Can Lampard’s team  continue their hot streak before the break ruins the momentum (and fitness of players even further)?

1. The uniqueness of Sheffield United versus the recent consistency of Chelsea

Not unlike Antonio Conte’s 3-4-3, much of Sheffield United’s success last season has been attributed to their uniqueness. Teams in the Premier League had grown accustomed to dealing with back threes after Conte’s title win, but overlapping centerbacks? It was just simply something unheard of and just avant garde enough to see Sheffield United carve out a significant amount of points.

At the same time, it feels like that blade dulled after the Covid break. Teams had a long time to watch Sheffield United and learn how to cope with them (except for Chelsea, who of course handed Sheffield United their biggest post restart win). That has continued this season with the Blades scrapping the bottom of the table with just one point from seven matches.

Chelsea, meanwhile, has found some consistency in recent matches and even a consistent style of their own. The good is that the Blues are able to form partnerships and see consistent strategies to grow with. The bad is opponents are eventually going to figure things out and it will be up to Frank Lampard whether he sticks or twists with the 4-3-3.

Can Chelsea settling on a formation recently cope with Sheffield United’s uniqueness? Or will the Blues being settled give the Blades the avenue they need? This might be the most important clash of all before the break.

2. A heavy possession game or a stop start affair

One aspect of Chelsea’s 4-3-3 is that it gives the Blues more possession but less penetration. That hasn’t stopped the Bleus from scoring at all, but it has become more of a chore than it was in the 4-2-3-1. Of course, the Blues also aren’t walking the fine line of chaos that 4-2-3-1 creates.

The ability to press and deal with counters also changes greatly between 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1. 4-2-3-1 is usually able to commit another player forward to press/mark lanes/mark men, but it comes at the cost of one less man behind for a counter. 4-3-3 does the opposite, but that doesn’t mean it is immune to getting caught in a back and forth game.

Even with the formation switch, there were moments against Burnley and Rennes where the opposition pressed and it gave the Blues plenty of issues. In both matches, the team weathered the storm and settled the game down in their favor, but if a goal had been scored, the 4-3-3 might have struggled to overcome that deficit.

Sheffield United is not a team that frequently goes at opponents defensively. If they stick to form, they’ll sit back and look for the counters which will give the Blues tons of possession. Risky coming out against the Blues and sneaking a goal when they can might be their best chance.

So, can Chelsea take control of the game and hold it? Or will Sheffield United give the Blues something to think about since they really have nothing to lose anymore?

3. Set pieces

Sheffield United is going to have the advantage on set pieces against the majority of teams. Not only does an extra centerback usually mean they have extra height, but all of their centerbacks are decent at scoring. Otherwise the whole idea of overlapping centerbacks would be a nonstarter.

On the other side, the Blues have very quietly gotten good at defending against set pieces as of late. Some of that is due to new players Thiago Silva and Edouard Mendy and some is due to new coach Anthony Barry supposedly adding new found organization during these moments. Regardless of what has caused it, much of Chelsea’s clean sheets in recent matches has been due to not giving up set piece goals in the droves they used to last season.

Sheffield United will know that their best chance at scoring will be through set pieces. It will be difficult for them to break the Blues down in open play. This match will be a real test of the Blues set piece prowess. Weather the storm and go into the break sitting pretty, or get drowned in the wave and head into break with some of the shine taken off.

What key clashes do you think will determine this match? Let us know in the comments and on Twitter!