Chelsea hosted Bournemouth in the English League Cup quarter-final at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday evening. The quality of this match was high with both sides fielding particularly strong sides in an attempt to reach the semi-finals.
Bournemouth pushed onto Chelsea looking to prevent them from playing out from the back. Bournemouth looked to prevent Chelsea from progressing in central areas and force the ball into wide areas.
The ball circulation in this match was much improved from recent fixtures (Man City apart) due to the speed at which the ball was moved across the pitch. When the ball entered the final third the quick combinations Sarri is known for were executed well. Most times passes were made they were completed in two touches or less. By doing this it required the defensive block to continuously need to orientate themselves.
Occupation of space
Chelsea showed better spacing in possession during the game which enabled them to penetrate advanced areas more efficiently. Chelsea were able to push Bournemouth’s wingbacks into a flat defensive line of five by positioning themselves higher and wider than they would do normally. By occupying five opponents with three attackers Chelsea were able to easily maintain possession of the ball due to the numerical superiority in the middle third of the pitch.
