Chelsea’s Response to Southampton’s Press
Maresca’s tactical response to Southampton’s defensive setup was clever and highly effective. By drawing Southampton’s front and second lines into the middle third, Chelsea were able to create space between the lines. This allowed their attackers to drop deep and exploit those pockets of space. The aim was to create overloads by pulling the Southampton backline out of position.
Through clever off-ball movements, Chelsea’s forwards were able to take advantage of this space. When Southampton’s man-marking system was disrupted, the Blues generated chances through quick interchanges and fluid positional rotations. Apart from this, Chelsea also utilized a variety of attacking routes: wide 1v1s, combination play, crosses from half-spaces or wings, cutbacks, and runs in behind from their forwards.