Premier League 2020/21: Chelsea vs Leeds – tactical analysis

On the 11th game week of the 2020-21 Premier League, in-form Chelsea hosted another in-form team, Leeds, in an exciting clash at the Stamford Bridge which welcomed fans for the first time in 9 months. Both the teams went into the match after registering impressive wins in their previous games with Leeds winning against Everton and Chelsea thrashing Sevilla to seal a round of 16 spot in the Champions League in the midweek.

This article features a tactical analysis of the tactics deployed by both the managers. Lets begin the analysis.

Line-ups

Chelsea lined up in a 4-3-3 formation that has been proving to be successful for them ever since their loss to Liverpool earlier in the season. Giroud was rewarded with a start again after his extraordinary performance against Sevilla. 

Leeds on the other hand lined up in a 4-4-1-1 / 4-2-3-1 formation that transitioned into a 4-1-4-1 when they had the ball. Bielsa went with the same team that beat Everton the previous weekend.

Chelsea with Possession

Ever since their loss to Liverpool, Frank Lampard has grounded on fielding a 4-3-3 formation that attempts to get the best out of everyone in their squad. With Kante acting as deep-lying central defensive midfielders, the other 2 midfielders have the license to essentially function as number-eights and their formation becomes 4-1-4-1 when they approach the final third. Inside the final third, they shift to a 2-3-5 formation, having huge flexibility. With creativity from their full-backs as well as their number-eights, they can constantly form triangles and they did that rightly against Leeds.