Chelsea 1:0 Tottenham Hotspur - Tactical Analysis & Match Report (1-0)

Spurs’ Build-Up vs Chelsea’s Defensive Press

The visitors structured their build-up as a 3-5-3, with two center-backs and the goalkeeper forming the first line, while the two fullbacks and three midfielders created a highly fluid second line. The unpredictability of their shape allowed them to manipulate Chelsea’s hybrid press by finding the free man.

However, Maresca reacted midway through the first half by instructing Chelsea to press Spurs man-for-man. This approach led to multiple dangerous turnovers but also saw Spurs occasionally bypass Chelsea’s press.

When Spurs had possession in the middle third, Chelsea adopted a mix of zonal and man-oriented pressing, which often transitioned into a high press. Neto frequently curved his pressing runs, trying to limit access to Destiny Udogie while pressing Micky van de Ven. This gave Chelsea a +1 advantage at the back, but if Spurs successfully found Udogie, Chelsea risked being exposed.

Spurs often resorted to crosses from the half-spaces and flanks, utilizing Solanke’s aerial presence. When Chelsea were pushed deeper, they formed a 4-5-1 low block, which helped them contain Spurs’ fluid midfield rotations. However, Spurs attempted to disrupt Chelsea’s defensive structure by dragging markers out of position, creating pockets of space.

One example highlighted this issue: Neto pressed Van de Ven while shadowing Udogie. With a simple movement, Van de Ven found the passing angle to Udogie, who played in Son Heung-min. Son then combined with Solanke, who linked up with James Maddison for a cut-back attempt, but Colwill intercepted.