Manchester United 0-0 Chelsea- Tactical Analysis

Wayne Rooney

Man-Marking van Persie

Over the last few years, Van Persie has proven to be a match winner and a goal machine. The key for Chelsea was to stop him. They did so by marking him very closely. Either Terry or Cahill was always sticking to him like a magnet. This meant that his biggest strength, his movement was taken out of the game a bit. He hardly got to see the ball, and had to drop deeper, go wide, and try a lot of different things to get the ball. This movement on his part had a pleasant kick on effect for United, and Wayne Rooney in general.

Van Persie ran all over the park, and took the Chelsea defence with him. As they dropped deep along with the Dutchman, it created space for Rooney to operate in. This led to him being a very influential figure in the game, as he got 3 shots on target for the Red Devils, and all of these were from outside the box, in the zone that was vacated as van Persie made his runs.Defending the penalty box

Chelsea did not pay any attention at all to the wide areas, and only defended the width of their own penalty area. This meant that it was very difficult for United to get shots off that would test the keeper. They were restricted to shooting from distance. Even when they did get into the box, their attempts were blocked by the wall of blue shirts there.

To execute this plan effectively, Chelsea had to bring their pivot deeper, and Ramires and Lampard ended up playing most of the game behind the half way line. As the pivot went deeper, it got harder for the Chelsea players to get the ball out to their attacking players. This defensive approach hindered Chelsea’s play going forward, and with no real target man, or runner, Chelsea weren’t able to stretch United enough vertically. Statistics

(via Whoscored.com)

Possession: United 55% – Chelsea 45%

Shots attempted: United 12 – Chelsea 8

Shots on target: United 3 – Chelsea 4

Pass Completion rate: United 84% – Chelsea 81%

Tackles attempted: United 22 – Chelsea 15

Individual Stats

Most Shots attempted: Wayne Rooney (4)

Most Shots on target: Wayne Rooney (3)

Most Chances created: Michael Carrick; Nemanja Vidic (2)

Most Touches taken: Tom Cleverley (92)

Most Successful Dribbles: Eden Hazard (5)

Most Tackles: Antonio Valencia (6)

Most Interceptions: Tom Cleverley (5)

Most Aerial Duels Won: Gary Cahill (5)

Most Passes attempted: Tom Cleverley (75 at 91% completion rate)

Most Crosses attempted: Phil Jones; Patrice Evra, Antonio Valencia (5)