Chelsea’s Possession Shape and Movement
In the middle third, Chelsea maintained a 3-2-5 shape in possession. Malo Gusto, as an overlapping fullback, combined well with Palmer in the half-spaces, which resembled the setup Chelsea used in the 2023-24 season under Mauricio Pochettino.
James as a defensive midfielder provided Chelsea with more physicality than usual, which worked better than having Cucurella or Gusto in this role. However, it didn’t fully work on the night, as James wasn’t as sharp in possession. Defensively, he was alright. Colwill played as the centre centre-back, a position in which he is comfortable.
Cucurella’s role as a wide centre-back gave Chelsea more defensive stability, particularly in wide channels where he was better equipped than Colwill. The lack of a wide 1v1 threat, with both Nkunku and Gusto out wide, meant that Chelsea had to rely on good movement during settled possession phases to break down Villa.