A lot has been made over the last few months about Chelsea’s ideal formation. The Blues struggled to score goals from the moment Thomas Tuchel took over, but they had Europe’s best defense, so they were able to succeed regardless. Emphasis was put on improving the attack this season following Romelu Lukaku’s club record £97 million transfer over the summer. Suffice it to say, Tuchel has done this as his side has been one of the continent’s best to begin this campaign. Nevertheless, Chelsea has stayed relatively true to its roots in the opening phase of the season, sticking with the trusted 3-4-3 in a majority of its matches.
The problem is players like Lukaku and Timo Werner haven’t come out the gate scoring at the rates in which they were expected to when they were purchased. The Blues have nearly 20 different goalscorers in all competitions, but without a reliable scorer, it’ll be difficult for them to sustain this success. Tuchel briefly experimented with a 3-5-2, testing the pairing of Lukaku and Werner, before the duo was hurt in a win over Malmo. The 3-4-3 made an immediate return without either for a string of matches. However, against Zenit on Wednesday night, the 3-5-2 returned and the strikers were scoring for fun in St. Petersburg.
Chelsea’s ideal formation going forward is the 3-5-2, as the Zenit game showed
The reason the formation works is part familiarity and part defensive overload. Lukaku played in a 3-5-2 for Inter Milan under the direction of Antonio Conte, tallying one of his best seasons to date. Werner also has experience in the formation from his days at Leipzig under Julian Nagelsmann. The German forward was perhaps the Bundesliga’s most lethal striker not named Robert Lewandowski, as well. Therefore, Tuchel would be remiss for not at least giving it a try in order to get both strikers firing once again. Part of the reason it’ll work is because the players complement one another perfectly. Lukaku has the strength and hold-up ability while Werner possesses lethal pace. The tactical importance of the 3-5-2 digs much deeper than traits though.
Lukaku has struggled in part due to the fact that he has needed to stay central. The Belgian does his best work when he has the freedom to move about the pitch and pick up the ball in different areas to help advance the ball forward. He has not been given that freedom by the other forwards in the team. Lukaku is required to stay put in order to occupy the centerbacks and open up space for others. When the 28-year-old strays from his central position, he often drags the centerbacks with him, but nobody is getting into the space left behind. This is a big part of the reason why he’s not getting involved in the build-up play. Werner is someone who will make those runs into space though, as evidenced by Wednesday’s performance against Zenit.
The tactical change doesn’t just benefit the strikers either. All of the other Blues forwards would find themselves getting involved more often in a 3-5-2. Of course, there is less room for wide forwards with just one non-striker position on the ‘front line’ (more often than not a No. 10), but almost every winger can also play in that role. Mason Mount occupied the advanced midfield role in Chelsea’s last match and although he technically played as a central attacking midfielder, he was moving freely along the front line, playing off Lukaku and Werner. There was a fluidity amongst the Blues’ attacks. Kai Havertz, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech could also thrive with the ball at their feet more often—the Moroccan especially.
The 3-4-3 is tried and tested, which is why so many fans are reluctant to open their minds to new ideas from Tuchel. However, the prospect of moving forward and getting the best out of some of Chelsea’s best players is exciting. The Blues’ defense lacked against Zenit but it was thrilling to see them scoring goals from open play as easily as they were. The 3-5-2 is the way forward for the reigning European Champions. Once they’re back to full health, the tactical rotation could be the best thing to happen to the team in months.
What do you think Chelsea’s formation should be going forward? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!