Chelsea gets boost with Thomas Tuchel’s new midfield tactics

Thomas Tuchel debuted new tactics in the midfield for the first time this season against Crystal Palace a few weeks ago, specifically tweaking the positioning of N’Golo Kante, Jorginho and Christian Pulisic. The Blues began the match in a 4-1-4-1 formation, which also included a bit of 4-3-3 in the build-up play. It was very dynamic and made it easier for the players to get into good positions, despite the sloppy play, which Tuchel blamed on jet lag from the FIFA Club World Cup.

The midfield trio of Kante, Jorginho and Pulisic moved in tandem together and were allowed a lot of freedom. For example, Pulisic was able to play as both a No. 10 and a right midfielder with license to roam. The American would pick up positions on the right side of the midfield three to create balance or the No. 10 spot when looking to attack down the middle. This role is suited more for a player like Mason Mount in the grand scheme of things, but due to injury, Pulisic was given his opportunity. There were several moments were the 23-year-old found himself cutting through the middle on to chances and even receiving crosses from the right wing in dangerous positions. This is due to the balance Tuchel provided with his tactics, especially in the midfield areas.

Chelsea gets a boost in midfield with Thomas Tuchel’s new tactical approach

Overall, the most intriguing part of this midfield experiment was undoubtedly Kante. During the beginning of the game, the Frenchman almost slotted in on the bottom right side of where Jorginho sat. But as the game went on, he picked up various positions on the right, almost as a second forward to Hakim Ziyech. This became evident as the match continued, specifically when Malang Sarr played a through ball to Kante, who was making a darting run through the defense on the right wing. This resulted in the midfielder’s shot being saved, but it was still a notable event that was so unique due to the 30-year-old’s role.

Kante was relieved of his usual defensive duties with Jorginho anchoring the 4-1-4-1 through the middle. This led to him constantly playing tight alongside Ziyech to offer a second outlet on the right side, almost playing as an inside forward during attacks. Kante buzzed around the pitch—as usual—as he was able to choose when to track back and defend, and when to attack. Usually, Kante is given more defensive responsibility, but Tuchel noticed that the Blues needed to pick up more attacking positions in order to score more goals, hence the return to a similar role to the one he had in Maurizio Sarri’s 2018/19 Chelsea squad.

Lastly, Jorginho was played as a solo holding midfielder with less freedom to move forward. The Italian usually enters the final third more often to unleash forward passes when in possession against low blocks, but Tuchel instructed him to be more defensive and focus on playing passes from deep. This gives Jorginho less responsibility to orchestrate attacks and protects him defensively by placing him deeper, in front of the back line. Too often, the regista been caught out of position because he usually plays a more advanced role in a pivot. Playing him as more of a holding midfield role allows the blues’ attacks to be less telegraphed and provides more defensive sustainability when resorting to a back four.

These new midfield tactics were very inspiring, and although it may not have appeared as effective, it was very much so. Chelsea picked up many more attacking opportunities against a low block than it has since the beginning of the season. During the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16 against Lille, it was a bit surprising to see the Blues not play the same way. Nevertheless, the tactical tweak made by Tuchel worked against the reigning French champion, but we certainly haven’t seen the last of the 4-1-4-1.

What do you make of Tuchel’s new tactical approach in the middle of the park? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or on Twitter!