Bournemouth 0-1 Chelsea: Tactical Insights and Post-Match Analysis

Chelsea may have walked away with three points in their encounter against Bournemouth, but the performance on the pitch told a different story. Despite an unconvincing display, the West London club scraped a 1-0 victory, giving them much-needed momentum in the Premier League. In this analysis, The Pride of London will delve into the game, breaking down the tactical nuances and performances across the two halves.

First Half: Pressing Problems and a Disjointed Display

From the outset, Chelsea struggled to impose themselves, with Bournemouth proving to be an incredibly intense opponent out of possession. Iraola’s side is known for its hybrid pressing system, which aims to force turnovers in the attacking and middle thirds. The Cherries relentlessly executed this system, putting the Blues under significant pressure from the opening whistle.

Chelsea's Struggles in Build-up

Player availability impacted the Chelsea lineup as Veiga started in place of the unwell Enzo Fernandez and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Additionally, Axel Disasi was shifted to right-back due to Malo Gusto’s injury, with Marc Cucurella deployed higher on the left side in a Udogie-like role. However, this setup faltered against Bournemouth's high press.

Chelsea struggled to cope with Bournemouth’s pressing structure, which featured two forwards pressing the center-backs, while the rest of the home team marked man-to-man. This forced the visitors to play long from goal kicks, a tactic that rarely paid off as Bournemouth consistently won aerial duels.

Despite this, Chelsea did manage a few moments where they bypassed the press, but these were more outliers than the norm. Bournemouth’s pressing was so effective that the Blues rarely connected passes from the back to the middle third, making it difficult to control possession.