Premier League 2019/20: Chelsea vs Tottenham – tactical analysis

A Chelsea–Tottenham rivalry was played at Stamford Bridge as the first Premier League match of the weekend. Frank Lampard faced his former manager José Mourinho, and after 90 minutes of battle, the Blues took all three points to extend their advantage over Spurs to four points on the table.

Olivier Giroud scored early at the quarter of an hour; Marcos Alonso doubled the lead three minutes after the break, and in the final stages of the game, the away team clawed one back thanks to Antonio Rüdiger’s own goal.

In this tactical analysis, we will show you how Chelsea took all the points in this derby against Tottenham. It is an analysis that focuses on tactics.

Lineups

Lampard changed to a 3-4-2-1 formation after their loss against Manchester United in the last game. Olivier Giroud, Mason Mount and Ross Barkley formed the front three with Pedro Rodríguez, Willian and Tammy Abraham on the bench. Michy Batshuayi was not included in the squad list. Alonso also returned to the team, playing as a left wing-back.

Mourinho’s team played in a 5-4-1 formation with some regular players staying on the bench. Given the severe injuries to Harry Kane and Heung-min Son, Tottenham played Steven Bergwijn as the lone striker. Dele Alli and Serge Aurier were both on the bench as well. It was Harry Winks who partnered Tanguy Ndombélé at the midfield; Japhet Tanganga played as the right wing-back.

Tottenham’s press

Tottenham did not press high in this game; they formed a midblock to resist the build-up of Chelsea. In general, their defence was separated into two groups of players. The back three stayed deep with the wing-backs and maintained a compact shape. For the other five, they were tasked to press and form the first line of defence.

On most occasions, they formed a ‘pentagon shape’. On paper, they could have man-marked the central players of Chelsea, with both wingers stepping ahead (Lucas Moura – César Azpilicueta; Bergwijn – Andreas Christensen; Giovani Lo Celso – Rüdiger; Ndombélé & Winks – Jorginho & Mateo Kovačić). Ideally, this could prevent central penetration and build-up play.