Chelsea’s mid-season report: Jose striving for “tactical flexibility”, as Oscar and Ramires become key pins

Touted as joint title favorites alongside Manchester City, Chelsea, after negotiating a roller-coaster ride of 5 months stand third in the table, only 2 points off the summit.The English League this season has probably been the most thrilling, even though we are still at half way point. The quality of players migrating to England, particularly to the smaller clubs, has made it increasingly difficult for the top teams to stamp their authority, and produce consistent results. Only Arsenal have come close to displaying such a trend, but failed to emulate that invincibility which Spanish clubs Barcelona and Atletico Madrid are enjoying at the moment.

Each of the top clubs have had their share of misfortunes and bad moments this season, and Chelsea were no strangers. With one of their favorite managers returning after 6 years, the Blues finally felt at home and there was a sense of security among the fans that their club is now in the right hands. The agenda for Mourinho’s second term at the Bridge, which he has reiterated in his recent press conferences, has been to build a team for the next decade and inculcate stability from the roots of the club. For the manager himself, Chelsea might not be a contender in any front this season, but one can hardly concur to his manipulative thoughts. On the pitch, the Blues have been average for a good part 5 months, but started producing some excellent performances in the recently concluded festive period.

Mourinho can be incredibly deceiving in his press conferences.

In this report, lets first take a look at the odds of Chelsea winning any sort of silverware this season, and then analyze how they have evolved tactically over the span of 5 months. Chelsea started the season competing on 5 fronts. Though the Blues lost to Bayern on penalties in the UEFA Super Cup, the side had shown a lot of promise in containing, arguably the best squad in the world, Mourinho was not too concerned about that silver medal. But, in the games that followed the Super Cup tie, Chelsea lost to Everton and Basel in a span of 5 days. There was a need for tactical revision of the approach the team was taking going into matches. Then came the 9 match unbeaten run with 8 wins and a draw. After that, a period of 45 days starting from November, saw an inconsistent Chelsea lose matches at regular intervals, all of them away from home. Another change in approach by Mourinho, kicked off a 5 match unbeaten run till date, and with the team now flying high, there is every reason to believe this run would extend till the end of January.

Season Objectives

Premier League

Chelsea stand in a better position this year, compared to that of last January. They have failed to secure maximum points on 7 occasions this season, with 20 matches being played. That, is 65% success rate, with only Arsenal and Man City bettering it with 14 wins each. Mourinho’s League home record with the London club still remains intact after 10 matches this term. Only West Brom came close to breaking that after the Blues were held to a 2-2 draw. The away form though, is a major concern, with only 4 wins in 10 games.

Examining the fixture list for the coming months. Chelsea will not play consecutive home and away games from the start of February till the season ends. While the fallout of such a schedule is yet to be researched upon, Mourinho will be hoping to maintain a clear-cut momentum during these months, while maintaining an injury-free squad. The addition of the European nights to the list, will push the squad to its limits, as they seek to overcome the intense travelling in a congested itinerary. But unlike Arsenal, Chelsea don’t have a run of 6-8 consecutive high octane, big matches. This would inevitably slow Arsenal down in the league, which leaves Manchester City as the major title rivals, as predicted at the start of the season. So, it will mostly be Chelsea and Man City battling for the title till the last day, but one can still expect a lot of surprises in an already spiced up Premier League season.

Champions League

The advancement into the knockout stages has been rather unconvincing from Chelsea, as they lost twice to Basel. The knockout format introduces a good amount of uncertainty, as there is only one shot at victory, maybe two in case of UCL, with two-legged ties. Chelsea will be needing much better composure if they are to stand a chance of getting into the semifinals at the very least. The likes of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, PSG and Man City pose considerable threat in terms of squad depth or quality. So, it will not be an easy ride in Europe for Mourinho and company. A semifinal berth beckons.

FA Cup

Respected as a competition with heritage and significance, the FA Cup always brings back good memories for Chelsea and Mourinho. The Portuguese’s last trophy as a Chelsea manager was the FA Cup back in 2007. The third round was easily negotiated with a 2-0 victory over Steve McLaren’s Derby County. The next round will see Stoke City visit Stamford Bridge at the end of January. Since, the FA Cup has its own reserved weekends, it will not burden the existing schedule, and Chelsea will aiming for another Wembley final and an 8th FA Cup for the trophy cabinet.

The Tactical Evolution

Chelsea set out to compete in the 2013-14 season with quite a big squad and yet another new manager at helm. With the club’s youth policy operating in full force, a large pool of talented youngsters, were hoping to get some minutes in a Blue shirt. But with the registration restrictions in place, many were bound to seek first team football elsewhere. Romelu Lukaku, Lucas Piazon, Victor Moses, Marko Marin, Oriol Romeu, Gael Kakuta and Nat Chalobah, who were very close to breaking into the first team, ended up being loaned to various clubs. With the new manager, came new signings. Though, the arrival of Schurrle or Willian can be attributed to the scouting system and the owner’s ego respectively, Marco van Ginkel seemed to be the only business Mourinho managed to make personally, in the summer window.

Van Ginkel was brought in to be developed as a replacement for Lampard

The ex-Vitesse player, was going to be the missing piece in the Chelsea midfield. Van Ginkel, thought to be brought in as the replacement for Frank Lampard was a signal from the manager that he was planning for a long term project. Having secured a cap for the Oranje, Van Ginkel was to feature heavily in the Chelsea setup once he got settled to life in London. But a twist of fate threw him out of contention as he got himself injured in a league cup tie in September. Mourinho had to be content with 4 midfielders until the transfer window reopened. And this was the base for a the evolution Chelsea underwent, in search for their best XI.

Flexibility with formations

By the end of September, Mourinho had already used 3 formations in 9 matches. 4-2-3-1 remained the standard or base formation, and this was tweaked accordingly when the situation warranted. Against Man Utd, a side with no striker was fielded, in a 4-6-0 formation. Against Everton, Chelsea’s shape changed to a 3-4-3 when they were a goal down and chasing the game. Also, the 3-5-2 was used against Norwich with great effect as they took full points from Carrow road. Against Southampton in December, Mourinho changed the shape from 4-2-3-1 to a 4-4-2 during half time and turned the game round its head to win 3-1 after trailing 1-0 going into the break.

Such has been the depth of talent the manager had at his disposal, to experiment with that many formations. All these shapes, had one common pillar, the midfield duo. Frank Lampard and Ramires, who are not an ideal duo to be played in a double pivot, managed to start numerous games in the midfield. Mikel was only introduced as a late substitute to run down games and provide more defensive support. Injuries to Ramires and Lampard did force Mikel into the starting XI, during which he didn’t disappoint. But the main crux of Mourinho’s idea still remained, ‘Play a fluid system with tactical flexibility’.

The Fullback experiment

Azpilicueta has been solid wherever he was asked to play.

It was increasingly uncomfortable watching a seasoned rightback, Azpilicueta, being played on the opposite flank ahead of a decorated and fit Ashley Cole. Equally baffling was the deployment of Ivanovic at rightback, when he kept offering next to nothing in attacks. But Mourinho had a valid explanation for this. He wanted to be able to shift to a 3 man defense without substituting many players and this certainly helped when the Blues were chasing games. The inverted fullback concept crippled Chelsea when it came to width in play. The fullbacks were either too deep to join the attack, or were often caught high up the pitch and got exposed to counters. Though this experiment was a success to a certain extent, it failed to contribute to the fluid system Mourinho wanted to build.

Rise of the Brazilians

Chelsea’s Brazilian contingent became even bigger after the arrival of Willian in the summer window. Two players have been pivotal in everything Chelsea managed to achieve until now this season. Oscar and Ramires have been ever present in the starting XI and they have played a key role in the hunt for a new identity for the team. Ramires started in 19 of the 20 games in the league, and Oscar appeared in 18 league games. The functional role Ramires has been playing in the midfield, not only compliments the fullbacks but also adds energy and drive to contain opponents and catch them off guard. Oscar, who is probably the most clever player in the squad has been nothing short of a beast in the no.10 role.

The shifting tides. From one No.10 to another.

Though Juan Mata did get equal number of appearances as Oscar, the way the young Brazilian gave a new dimension to the no.10 role opened many possibilities. Oscar’s tactical discipline helped the midfielders to bomb forward and overload the areas around the opponent’s D box. Also, his active involvement in all phases of play earned him plaudits from all corners. His sheer workrate and intelligence going into tackles and making interceptions cemented him as the first choice no.10 ahead of the crowd favorite, Mata. In the recent game against Liverpool, Oscar won 7 aerial duels against the likes of Skrtel and Lucas. For a player as slender as him, that is a sign of remarkable commitment and productivity.

David Luiz had a good outing against Liverpool at the Bridge.

David Luiz hasn’t had much luck this season, as he managed only 18 appearances in all competitions. A rejuvenated John Terry and a disciplined Gary Cahill restricted Luiz to the bench. His recent stint in the midfield against Liverpool proved to be enormously useful, as Liverpool were effectively stopped from dictating play. In spite of less minutes on the pitch, and being a transfer target for many top clubs, Luiz has reiterated many a time of his loyalty to the blue shirt. If Chelsea don’t sign a midfielder in January, Luiz might as well be playing a very crucial role in the run up to the final games of the season.

The last man in this samba list is the new signing Willian. Chelsea already knew what Willian brought to the plate, after facing him in the Champions League during his time with Shakhtar. Though, the signing had much drama to its tune, Mourinho actually is benefiting from it. At Real Madrid, Di Maria was used as the utility player by Mourinho. A role that demands endless running and pressing the opponent. Willian is reprising that role at Chelsea now. He, along with Oscar and Hazard have formed a formidable partnership in the attacking band behind the striker and are clearly the x-factor when it comes to winning games. Another summer signing Andre Schurrle will be anxious about his extended time on the bench and will be battling it with Willian for that much coveted starting spot.

The ‘Fluid’ System

Though there were completely different formations used at times, most of them were the case of adapting to the opponent. The 4-2-3-1 or a 4-3-3 forms the base for a formation which is both fluid and flexible, so as to operate efficiently in the defensive third. Generally, one theme comes to the fore when such a combination is wished, Counter-Attacking football. Dortmund play such brand of football, with quick transitions and lightning fast counters. But, Mourinho wanted a different version of this. In order to adapt to the intensity of the English league, Mourinho needed his players to be more focused during all phases of play. This sort of system demands high amounts of work rate and stamina, particularly from the attackers. Juan Mata couldn’t meet these demands on a regular basis which resulted in him falling down the pecking order behind Oscar and Hazard.

During his time in Madrid, Mourinho had a proper midfield in place, and this eased some defensive duties off Ronaldo and Ozil. But, Ronaldo too was seen defending on his flank at times. This trait of defensive-wingers becomes even more paramount when fullbacks take part actively in attacks. Now, at Chelsea, only Mikel and Essien can be branded as midfielders with a defensive mindset, Ramires and Lampard are primarily more equipped to play an attacking role. And, an Essien-Mikel pairing is not ideal when more functionality is expected. These shortcomings have forced Mourinho to use Ramires in a unique role and in turn demanding more from the wingers.

Almost everything Chelsea do on the pitch goes through Ramires.

Until now, this system has been reasonably effective for Chelsea this term. It became a main stay during the 9 game unbeaten run, but opponents tend to find holes as days pass. And Chelsea were losing games again. The process of creating a new identity to the team had to be decelerated and the drawing board revisited. The game against Stoke City was a sign that things were getting out of hand as Petr Cech shipped 3 goals in that game. In came Mikel, and goals dried up for the opponents. Chelsea conceded only 4 goals in 8 games after that loss at Stoke, winning 6 of them and losing once, to Sunderland in the league cup. Chelsea are now strong at the back and their strikers have started to score. Its not long until Chelsea develop a unique identity for their style of play, which could win them games and ultimately, silverware.

New Signings??

Much has been talked about on the need for a midfielder and a striker in January. But in fairness, the strikers Chelsea have are more than enough to reach the final destination, i.e, May. A new midfielder is a much realistic need for the team to go the distance in the Champions League. The club can recall some of its loanees instead of spending cash in an overrated January window. But it is increasingly likely that Mourinho will buy someone and add steel to the mid. Fredy Guarin and Nemanja Matic are few players being linked to a move to London.

Chelsea will be a familiar place for Nemanja Matic.

Of the two, Matic seems to be a better fit, as he is equipped with qualities what Chelsea need right now. Guarin is more of a Ramires kind of a player who provides energy in the midfield, but that lack of a good passer will still elude Mourinho. Nemanja Matic is reportedly on the market, as Benfica are in need of money to reduce their losses. Chelsea will have the upper hand in such kind of negotiations, as they can get the player at a much lower price than the demanded 30 million. It will again be a choice between the wish of the club to spend in January after a reported loss of 50 million last season and the desire to go that extra bit in attaining success.

Conclusion

The individual performances of all players has not been discussed much in this article as it is cruel to judge them with the manager rotating the players heavily. An end-of-season report card seems more fair to evaluate them. Chelsea have done fairly well in the first half of the season when compared to Spurs and Man Utd. Liverpool, Everton, Arsenal and Man City have been on par with Chelsea in terms of progress achieved to reach the season’s objectives. The second half of the season will be a crucial time for Arsenal and Liverpool as they tend to fade away, at least the history suggests that. Man City, in the form they are currently, are outright favorites for the league title and Bayern Munich with the thing they have gotten going under Pep are turning into an invincible force and are touted to win the Champions League. Chelsea will have to work monstrously to defy the odds and come out on top.