City’s Attacking Strategy & Chelsea's Transitions
City looked to break Chelsea’s defensive block through wide combinations. They created triangles on the flanks, attempting to find space for crosses into the box. These wide attacks were a key feature of City’s game plan, as they hoped to catch Chelsea's fullbacks off-guard with crosses to the back post.
Despite these efforts, Chelsea’s defense remained resilient. As seen throughout the season, Chelsea were dangerous on the counter-attack, and this match was no exception. After intercepting a pass, Chelsea quickly transitioned forward. A few passes later, they were able to get in behind the City defense, but they failed to convert the opportunity.
The second route was a more straightforward option. Since the center-backs had time and space on the ball, they could look to go long. Although winning the first balls were a challenge against Bright and Bjorn, getting to the second/loose balls presented an opportunity to push… pic.twitter.com/fNMv5GcJol
— Fahd (@fahdahmed987) March 15, 2025
When in possession, Chelsea formed a 4-2-4 shape, similar to their build-up shape. Bompastor's strategy encouraged her fullbacks to join the attack, while the opposite fullback held a more reserved position. This fluid formation could shift into a 3-2-5 or a 3-1-6 depending on the situation. Chelsea’s forwards also showed fluidity, with one drifting away from their usual position to create overloads in different areas of the pitch.
Nevertheless, as we've seen throughout the season, under Bompastor, Chelsea are immensely dangerous on the offensive transitions.
— Fahd (@fahdahmed987) March 15, 2025
That continued to be the case today.
As you can see below, City tried to play direct against Chelsea's compact low-block. After an interception by… pic.twitter.com/HWGgb6ReJI