Chelsea talking tactics: How to keep run going vs. Sheffield United

Chelsea hosts Sheffield United on Saturday in the Premier League, looking to maintain its unbeaten streak of the last few months.

Rosy times are upon us at Stamford Bridge, which could mean beware, but should mean be ready for some fun against winless Sheffield United. Of course, the Blades have burned Chelsea (gravely) once before, so wariness will be key to any streak-extending victory this weekend.

Fresh from the sweat-less dispatching of Rennes midweek in the Champions League, the Blues have finally hit their promised groove, combining cohesive and incisive attacking play with a newfound solidity at the back. This has been bolstered to no end by the calming presence of our Lord and custodian, Edouard Mendy. The Senegalese international has—I know you know the stat, and I know you want to hear it again—six clean sheets in seven games. The Blues have played almost eight hours of football since Mendy’s last concession.

In theory, the welcoming of a Sheffield side flailing in 19th place with just three goals to its name after seven matches shouldn’t pose too much of a threat to Mendy’s savior status. Yet, the scars of last season’s two battles—a 2-2 draw at home and a 3-0 thumping away—ensure nothing should be taken for granted.

The first game was a classic case of Chelsea doing almost everything to seal the victory in the first half, and then undoing all of that work late in the second. In this season’s vernacular, you’d call it a ‘Southampton’ or a ‘reverse Burnley’. The second was a pretty exhaustive accumulation of all the team’s faults condensed into one nightmarish 90 minutes. To be precise, that would be a hapless goalkeeper, a height-less backline, a glaring vulnerability on set pieces, an imbalanced midfield and a whole host of individually reckless players playing in a system that exacerbated their limitations.

There’s also the fact that, at that time, Chris Wilder’s side was a top six side with an unseen style taking the league by storm, cheered on by a buoying Bramall Lane. Neither of these things are the same this year. Chelsea has added steel—and height—between the sticks and in the rearguard, which came at the expense of a lot of those error-prone individuals. Sheffield has relinquished that ability to surprise, making no meaningful changes for the loss of Dean Henderson and the absence of the exuberance of fans, without whom they seem inconsolable.

If Chelsea can once again steer clear of any glaring mistakes, and Thiago Silva can replicate what he did to Ashley Barnes and Marcus Rashford with Oli McBurnie and Rhian Brewster, any embarrassing reenactments should be avoided. The collective needs to hold firm as well, of course, and that’s harder when you’re playing every three days instead of seven. The Blades will be praying their relative freshness, combined with a sprinkling of Blues complacency, will be enough to conjure up a result. In that way, this seems like a game Chelsea can lose rather than Sheffield win.

Rennes was essentially a training session. If Frank Lampard keeps his players in check, and the attacking talents of Hakim Ziyech, Timo Werner, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Tammy Abraham sparkle once more, there can only be one winner.

What is the tactical aspect of the match you’ll be keeping an eye on? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!