Chelsea has played in a lot of important matches this season. The Blues are experiencing one of the most turbulent seasons of any major club in Europe. They’ve sat anywhere from first to 10th in the table, they’ve changed managers once and even added £250 million worth of players heading into the year. Chelsea is a club with purpose and although rebuilds and projects take time, that is not a luxury the west Londoners have under Roman Abramovich. The Russian owner demands the absolute best of his team and the Champions League is the Blues’ playground this week.
Thomas Tuchel leads his men—who performed excellently in the group stage—into battle where they will face La Liga’s best team, Atletico Madrid. Luckily for the Blues, this is the best time to take on the Spanish side. Atletico is slumping right now, failing to win three of its last four matches. Despite a poor showing at St Mary’s Stadium on Saturday, Chelsea is actually in decent form at the moment. Regardless, none of that means this is a guarantee. Atletico is the hardest draw the Blues could’ve gotten. In order to become a European champion though, one has to defeat the best.
This will be a heavyweight clash between two European giants, separated by the slightest of margins. Here are three key clashes that could decide the first leg of the UCL tie:
1. Felipe and Stefan Savic vs. Timo Werner
I’m going to be honest, I was really looking forward to previewing Jose Gimenez versus Timo Werner in this section. However, that’s no longer possible as Gimenez was left out of Atletico’s Champions League roster before this clash. The Uruguayan came off with an injury in Los Colchoneros’ latest match against Levante. He had been working his way back into the squad after a muscle injury kept him out for the first part of this year. Seeing him work against the pacey Werner would’ve been heaven for football fans everywhere.
Felipe and the centerback who will likely start to his right, Stefan Savic, are perfectly capable of shutting down Chelsea’s versatile forward in the Uruguayan’s absence though. The two experienced defenders have both been crucial to helping Diego Simeone’s squad catapult to the top of La Liga this season. They aren’t as highly regarded as Gimenez, and they may not be as talented, but they are still incredible defenders. Simeone will lean on these two to shadow Werner all night long.
The Blues’ No. 11 has caused problems for a lot of teams this season across all competitions. He isn’t firing on all cylinders like last season for Leipzig, but make no mistake about it, the quality is still there. On his best days, Werner can out-run any defender in the world and he’s got an excellent eye for goal. The 24-year-old slumped for a span of 100-or-so days around the turn of the new year. However, an impressive performance against Newcastle has him back up to speed—no pun intended.
As previously noted, this match-up isn’t as eye-catching as Gimenez versus Werner, but it’ll still make for some stunning moments throughout the match. It’s hard to imagine the loser of this battle being on the winning side, which speaks to its importance, for sure.
2. Diego Simeone vs. Thomas Tuchel
There’s no denying the fact that the managers in each dugout are amongst the world’s best. Simeone and Tuchel have incredible track record of success, but perhaps more importantly on an individual scale, they are hailed as tactical geniuses. This two-legged tactical chess match will feature two of Europe’s most disciplined defensive sides. Despite this designation though, Chelsea and Atletico play two very different styles of football.
Simeone’s always been known as a defensive minded manager and rightfully so. When players transfer over to the managerial side of the sport, it’s often said that their attributes travel with them. This thought is personified through Simeone. As a midfielder, his game was centered around positional flexibility, intelligence and strength. His Atletico Madrid teams have possessed all of these traits, which is why they have been amongst the best in Europe during the Argentine’s time in charge.
Simeone’s teams are known for compact defenses who are perfectly comfortable with 20 to 30 percent possession in a given match. Atletico is incredibly difficult to break down and disciplined across the board, with each individual performing his task to near perfection every match. The Argentine usually sets his team up in a 4-4-2, but has turned to the 3-4-3 recently to accommodate for defensive injuries. Expect Atletico to play the latter formation against the Blues, sitting a majority of the team behind the ball to absorb pressure.
On the flip side of things is Tuchel’s attacking, possession heavy Chelsea team. The German puts an emphasis on recovering possession in the opponent’s half, so the Blues press with intensity. Despite dominating possession under Tuchel thus far, Chelsea has struggled to create chances and score goals. This could potentially mean trouble for the Blues, as Atletico will be the most disciplined defensive side they play all season. Tuchel will need to get his wingbacks pushing forward and attackers moving into space if he wants any chance of breaking down Simeone’s disciplined back line.
No matter how it plays out, this is set to be one of the most fascinating tactical contests of the season across European football. We should consider ourselves lucky that we get to see two legs of this managerial match-up.
3. Atletico’s front three vs. Chelsea’s back three
In the previous slides, we’ve talked a lot about the front line of Chelsea—led by Werner—and the back line of Atletico. However, the real focal point of each team is the unit that is seldom called upon. The play of Atletico’s front three and Chelsea’s back three, presuming each team lines up in different variations of the 3-4-3, will dictate who gets the upper hand heading into the second leg of this Round of 16 tie.
Starting with the Atletico attack, everyone knows the names of the three individuals who lead the line. Youngsters Joao Felix and Angel Correa, both growing stars in the global game, are having great seasons but the real storyline is the striker position. Luis Suarez has lit up La Liga in a different shade of red and blue this season. His 18 goal contributions in 24 games have taken Spain by storm and makes his release from Barcelona that much more puzzling. In addition to Suarez’s crucial return, Felix and Correa have played a direct role in 27 goals.
The Atletico front line has everything a team could want in an attacking unit: size, strength, speed, skill and strikers’ instinct. The level of play from Liverpool’s front three has dwindled this campaign and the boys from Atletico may now hold the title of the world’s best this season. They are a terrifying trio and although Chelsea may not be able to completely stop them, the away side will have to slow them down if it wants any chance of winning.
The individuals tasked with halting Atletico’s attacking force won’t be known until an hour or so before kickoff, but we already have a good idea as to who those players will be. Tuchel has turned to Antonio Rudiger, Thiago Silva and Cesar Azpilicueta as the centerbacks in his three-at-the-back system. That unit has a ton of experience and stability, which probably explains why the Blues have kept clean sheets in the three matches they’ve started together under Tuchel. Despite being a side that emphasizes possession and attacking football, Chelsea’s defense has been superb with the German in the dugout.
It goes without saying, one of these units will have to give. They will both bend, but the team who breaks first will likely be on the offensive in the second leg at Stamford Bridge.
What are the key clashes you’ll be keeping an eye on? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!