London derbies between Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur never fail to entertain, and their recent clash delivered yet another classic. In a thrilling rollercoaster of a match filled with mistakes, goals, and tactical intricacies, Enzo Maresca's Chelsea emerged victorious. This article provides an in-depth analysis of the tactical elements that shaped the game.
Tottenham, under Ange Postecoglou, have developed a recognizable approach to pressing. In the attacking third, they typically adopt a zonal pressing structure with a -1 numerical disadvantage before transitioning to a man-to-man press. In the middle third, they rely on a mid-block that shifts to man-to-man pressing when the opportunity arises.
In the attacking third, Spurs, as mentioned, press with a -1 as Solanke looks to curve his run to shadow mark a Chelsea CB. Here, the Spurs RW, Johnson has dual responsibilities - pressing the Chelsea CB that Solanke has shadow marked (if Colwill is found) whilst shadow marking… pic.twitter.com/HWuiOBzf6a
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This system paid dividends early in the game. In the fifth minute, Marc Cucurella attempted to receive a backward pass from Levi Colwill, but a slip handed possession to Brennan Johnson. The resulting turnover was capitalized on by Dominic Solanke, who opened the scoring for Spurs.
Spurs’ pressing system in the attacking third was evident throughout the match. Solanke's role involved curving his runs to shadow mark one of Chelsea’s center-backs, while Johnson had dual responsibilities. He was tasked with pressing a center-back (if Solanke shadowed another) and shadow-marking Cucurella, Chelsea’s left-back.
However, for Chelsea, when they weren't able to involve the GK in the play, it was a 5v5 in the build-up phase. From here, Chelsea struggled to break Spurs. If you keep a close eye on the lead up to the second Spurs goal, you'll notice this.pic.twitter.com/qtlclSnfmx
— Fahd (@fahdahmed987) December 8, 2024
This dual-role dynamic created vulnerabilities. For instance, when Johnson pressed Cucurella, he left space open for the away team's midfielders, particularly Enzo Fernández. A few factors contributed to this: Yves Bissouma man-marked Cole Palmer, leaving central spaces vacant. Tottenham’s center-backs hesitated to step forward, prioritizing their defensive line structure over closing down Chelsea's free men.
And as mentioned, when Chelsea used the GK for the +1, they were more comfortable progressing the ball - both centrally and through the wings. Chelsea score their 1st goal from this as they used the initial +1 overload and then exploit the space.pic.twitter.com/kr9qyVu2xh
— Fahd (@fahdahmed987) December 8, 2024
Chelsea capitalized on this by creating numerical overloads. Their goalkeeper, Robert Sánchez, was involved in build-up play, allowing them to maintain a 4-2 structure and a numerical superiority (6v5) in the first phase. Additionally, the high positioning of Moisés Caicedo as a right-back in midfield provided an extra passing option.