Chelsea have had an interesting start to the season- they began with a 1-0 win over former manager Frank Lampard’s Everton on the opening weekend and followed it up with a 2-2 draw against city rivals Tottenham Hotspur. On Sunday though, the Blues suffered their first reverse, losing 3-0 to Jesse Marsch’s Leeds United at Elland Road.
Against Leeds, Tuchel opted for some interesting tactical choices. With N’Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic both injured, youngster Conor Gallagher was given a start in the centre of the park alongside veteran Jorginho. He continued to play 3 at the back, but interestingly opted for Reece James as his right sided central defender, with Thiago Silva and Kalidou Koulibaly completing the defensive trio.
James has traditionally been most effective at right wing back, but that spot was given to Reuben Loftus Cheek, who generally has seemed more comfortable in the centre of the park. Both Mason Mount and Kai Havertz also started, with the former on the wing. However the ploy of playing certain players out of position didn’t quite work for Tuchel, with the Blues crashing to a 3-0 defeat, and which, looking at the xG chart below, was a deserved loss.
Leeds were excellent on the press- they quickly shut down Chelsea’s space, and the first goal, an error from Blues keeper Edouard Mendy, owed a lot to that tactic. Fans were a tad puzzled at the logic of playing James in central defence when the likes of Azpi, Ethan Ampadu and Chalobah were all available on the bench as options.
With Koulibaly suspended for Chelsea’s next game against Leicester following his red card against Leeds, it will be interesting to see what Tuchel does. He has generally refrained from playing four at the back, with three in central defence considered a more compact formation that compensates for the mobility issues that older players like Silva and Jorginho might have.
After playing the last game at Elland Road, Chelsea are back to home comfort for their next fixture against Leicester. There is plenty of demand for tickets at Seatpick for games involving the Blues, as one would expect- they, after all, won the Champions League a year and a half ago under Tuchel, and there are many who think the German could replicate compatriot Jurgen Klopp’s Anfield success at the Bridge. It’s still a project in progress, but given the players they have been linked to in recent weeks- Aubameyang, Wesley Fofana and Anthony Gordon to name a few, and the signings they’ve already made this summer (Koulibaly, Cucurella, Sterling), there is real optimism that they could challenge the likes of City and Liverpool.
In the opening game against Everton, Chelsea had Azpi and Koulibaly on either side of Silva, with James and Chilwell as wing backs. The Spurs game saw only one switch- Cucurella, who came off the bench against the Toffees, made his league debut as a starter at the expense of Chilwell.
Chelsea’s lack of attacking firepower would’ve also concerned Tuchel. Against Everton, the winner came from a Jorginho penalty, and the two goals against Spurs were from Koulibaly and Reece James. No player found the back of the net against Leeds, which means all three of the Blues’ league goals so far have come from defensive-minded players. It doesn’t exactly paint a great picture of Messrs Havertz, Sterling and co. though, and Tuchel needs to figure how to sort out that part going forward.
