Chelsea started the Premier League season with a very mixed performance. In the first three games, they recorded one loss, draw and one victory. The new manager, Frank Lampard has a big task since they were able to grab the lead at the previous two games, but then both times dropped the level of concentration which lead to them conceding goals. The same thing happened when they welcomed newly-promoted Sheffield United to Stamford Bridge on the Premier Leagues fourth matchday.
Sheffield Uniteds tactics were to emphasize on keeping the home side far from the goal. This was successful as Chelsea were not able to break down their opponents pressing and create chances in the final third. The biggest opportunities came from Tammy Abraham who had a great performance, scoring two goals again after he did so against Norwich the previous weekend. Having said that, Chelsea were able to grab the lead, but then Sheffield equalised in the second half. This tactical analysis will investigate Sheffields tactics and how Chelsea ended up with a 2-2 draw after a two-goal lead.
Lineups
Lampard is still searching for his best team, especially due to the absence of important players due to injury. However, the only change for this match from the previous game was in the defensive department, where Fikayo Tomori replaced Andreas Christensen. Lampard deployed the same midfield of Ross Barkley, Jorginho and Mateo Kovačić, and the same attacking trident of Mason Mount, Abraham and Christian Pulisic.
On the other hand, Sheffield lined up in their usual 3-5-2 shape and Chris Wilder sent out the same players, except in attack where he employed Oliver McBurnie next to Callum Robinson instead of David McGoldrick.
