Club World Cup 2022: How Chelsea overcame Palmeiras – tactical analysis

Chelsea and Palmeiras faced off in the Club World Cup final after winning their respective continental competitions. Both clubs looked to win the competition for the first time in their history, and for Chelsea, it was only title missing in the Abramovich era. Despite Chelsea’s strong favouritism, they had much difficulty breaking down Abel Ferreira’s low defensive block. In the 117^th minute, Kai Havertz converted the game-winning penalty after an unfortunate handball from Luan.

Thomas Tuchel’s tactics were simple; dominate possession and keep Palmeiras from creating chances. Understanding Chelsea’s superiority, Abel’s side were happy to sit in a compact low block and take advantage of counterattacks. After Lukaku’s goal in the 55^th minute, Palmeiras were forced to attack more and consequently found the equaliser in Veiga’s penalty. For the majority of the match though, Chelsea controlled possession and looked to break down Palmeiras’ defensive structure.

In this tactical analysis, we will examine why Abel’s tactics were so difficult to break down and the successful tactical tweaks Tuchel made to win the match.

Lineups

Thomas Tuchel made four changes from the starting eleven that faced Al-Hilal on Wednesday. Hudson-Odoi was brought on for Alonso, Kante for Jorginho, and Mount for Ziyech. Finally, Mendy returned after winning the AFCON with Senegal. Chelsea lined up in their usual 3-4-2-1 but changed to a 3-4-1-2 still in the first half. More on that later.

Abel Feirrera kept the same eleven from the 2-0 win against Al Ahly on Tuesday. Although the starting formation is a 5-4-1, this would change according to the phases of the game. Gómez, Luan, and Piquerez were the central defenders alongside Scarpa and Rocha. Zé Rafael and Danilo formed the midfield duo flanked by Dudu and Rony. Raphael Veiga played more advanced.