Schalke 0-3 Chelsea: Five things we learned

Countering – The art of it

Eden Hazard – Countering the belief

Malleability is one of Chelsea’s top qualities this season. They know how to adapt to the situation and that ability could come in handy as the season wears on.

The way Chelsea adapted to the situation at hand on Tuesday night was nothing short of impressive. Playing a reserved game in the first half after gaining the early lead, Chelsea controlled the match in a tremendous fashion by playing contained passes in their own half and finding the occasional long ball to the wings in the opposition half.

Second half, on the other hand, was a true test of their adaptability when Schalke started attacking with all that they had in store. Schalke shifted to a 3-5-2 formation, which meant that Chelsea was going to be outnumbered in the middle of the park.

Chelsea answered by putting Eden Hazard at one flank and Oscar at the other, with Torres down the middle, while Schurrle helped with the defending. Chelsea shifted to a defensive 4-3-3 and reaped the results around the hour mark, when Schalke failed to break the defensive wall and were caught on the counter.

What one witnessed was the perfect counter attacking game, which is hard to contain and if this performance is anything to go by, Chelsea will be able to deliver the goods against the big guns, albeit on the counter.