FC Copenhagen vs Chelsea: Tactical Analysis & Match Report (1-2)

Upsides and Drawbacks of High Press Set-Up

Chelsea’s out-of-possession tactics against Copenhagen's build-up were interesting. When Copenhagen set up in a 4-2-4 shape, Chelsea employed a high block with a -1 structure. This set-up involved Cole Palmer initially sitting on one of Copenhagen’s deep-lying midfielders, who was part of the two holding midfielders in their 4-2-4, before moving on to press the left center-back. Meanwhile, Madueke would position himself between the Copenhagen left-back and left CDM.

If the ball shifted to Copenhagen's right flank, George would tuck in to mark the deep midfielder, leaving Palmer to press the left-center-back. Elsewhere, Chelsea played man-to-man.

The benefit of this approach was that it helped Chelsea deal with long balls from Copenhagen. By sacrificing a player in the high press, Chelsea were able to have an extra player in the defensive line, providing a +1 in defensive coverage.

Chelsea’s frontline press had its flaws, however. If Copenhagen’s deep midfielders dropped deeper to support the center-backs, they easily created an overload against Chelsea’s front line.

When Copenhagen were passive with their pressing, it was relatively easy for them to build through the thirds, provided they executed the overloads and passes correctly. Maresca responded by having Madueke press the left-center-back while keeping the left-back in shadow cover. This allowed Palmer and Mheuka to track Copenhagen’s deep midfielders, with the latter pressing the right center-back when the ball was played to him.