Chelsea needs to bring back the 4-2-3-1 against Liverpool

A lot has been made about Thomas Tuchel’s tactical genius over the years. He built a reputation during his time at Mainz, Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain for being one of the most flexible figures in the game in terms of formation. The German’s teams lacked consistency in large part as it related to a core shape. He set his sides up accordingly each match based on the opposition’s weaknesses and the best formation to counter their shape. We’ve not seen the same adaptable tactics from Tuchel’s Chelsea though.

The Blues have played three-at-the-back for an overwhelming majority of Tuchel’s time in the English capital. Aside from the occasional four at the back experiment, Chelsea’s shape has been limited to either a 3-4-3 or 3-5-2 for the last calendar year. The Blues disappointingly dropped a plethora of points throughout of the month of December due to poor form, injuries and COVID-19 complications. Therefore, as the situation worsens heading into the most difficult month of the campaign, it’s about time for the manager to consider a change. Tuchel needs to line his Chelsea side up in a 4-2-3-1 against Liverpool if he wants any chance at getting the better of Jurgen Klopp’s high-flying Reds, but also for a longer period of time in order for this squad to succeed.

Chelsea needs to line up in a 4-2-3-1 against Liverpool to cope with new injuries

The reality of the situation is this: there are no simple solutions to coping with the Blues’ current issues. No formation can make up for the losses of Ben Chilwell and Reece James. The wingbacks have grown to become such an integral part of the way Chelsea attacks this season and without them, the team looks like a deer in headlights trying to charge forward. Antonio Rudiger has tried to make up for this by getting forward more often, but this has only led to defensive instability in recent weeks. The absence of the wingbacks isn’t the only problem plaguing the team either.

There is fatigue all over the pitch. Players are being rushed back from injury and others even playing through pain constantly. This was obvious in the last contest against Brighton when the Seagulls’ bursts of energy in the final moments saw them draw level with the sluggish hosts at Stamford Bridge. The Blues simply don’t have the necessary depth to get a break right now with games coming thick and fast. The presence of wingbacks in the formation has contributed to this issue though. Chelsea is being forced to play numerous players in unnatural positions while the Blues wait for wingbacks to return. Cesar Azpilicueta, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Christian Pulisic and Saul have all played in these roles over the last few weeks to cope with Chilwell and James’ absences. For this reason, Tuchel needs to make a temporary switch to a back four until James comes back and/or new wingbacks are brought in via the transfer window.

In the grand scheme of things, Tuchel’s back four wouldn’t be that different from a back three when Chelsea is in possession, which is usually for the better part of matches. Either fullback (likely Alonso on the left) could charge up the pitch when the Blues have the ball. The entire back line would then shift over with the right back occupying the role of a right centerback. Look no further than Julian Nagelsmann’s Bayern Munich to see the best example of how this idea would play out. Both Nagelsmann and Tuchel came from the Ralf Rangnick school of thinking, so they naturally have similar ideas. Nagelsmann’s sides lined up with three centerbacks prior to his joining the Bavarian giants, but even after the switch to four-at-the-back, Nagelsmann’s teams still play an incredibly similar style. This is to be expected with the Blues, as well.

Tuchel’s got the benefit of having some incredibly versatile players who are capable of playing in numerous positions. For example, Trevoh Chalobah can play as a centerback, right back and defensive midfielder. Azpilicueta is similar with his experience at centerback, right back, right wingback and left back. Players like these would help ease the natural growing pains associated with any drastic tactical transition.

A back four isn’t the best long-term solution for this side. Chelsea’s DNA—as evidenced by Antonio Conte and Tuchel over the years—is a back three. However, wingback depth is non-existent right now with Alonso being the only healthy true wingback. He’s running on fumes after being forced to appear in every game since Chilwell’s injury. Meanwhile, James had nothing left in the tank before exiting against Brighton. Now, Tuchel has to either play a 32-year-old Azpilicueta every match or field unorthodox options like Hudson-Odoi or Pulisic at right wingback. Neither option is ideal, which is exactly why a back four makes sense. A 4-2-3-1 specifically would allow Chelsea to get more midfielders involved. This would benefit the Blues as N’Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic and Jorginho are all on top of their games at the moment.

In the end, switching to four-at-the-back just makes too much sense at this moment in time. Chelsea has its back against the wall. The Blues’ top four competitors are creeping up on them as they slowly fall out of the title race. If they do not find out a way to deal with the losses of Chilwell and James soon, things could get really ugly in a short amount of time. Let’s hope that’s not the case as there is still plenty to play for this year.

What formation do you think the Blues should line up in against Liverpool? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!