Premier League 2023/24: How Chelsea gave Pep’s City the blues – tactical analysis

The 2023/24 Premier League title race is an absolutely thrilling one, with Liverpool, Arsenal, and Manchester City all battling it out with 13 games remaining (14 for City). Over the weekend, Liverpool kicked things off with an emphatic 4-1 win at Brentford in their early Saturday fixture, while Arsenal blew Burnley away with a 5-0 thrashing later that day. These results acted as a message to Manchester City, who played their fixture on the Sunday – a 1-1 draw at home to Chelsea.

This tactical analysis will provide some insight into the key tactics deployed by Mauricio Pochettino as his side looked to disturb City’s afternoon, with the analysis also looking at how Pep Guardiola responded in this riveting tactical battle.

Lineups

City lined up in a 4-3-3 that went through several tweaks throughout the match, dependent on Chelsea’s approach or City’s attacking intent. For example, there were moments where they adopted a 3-2-5 formation in attack, but in other times went into a 4-2-3-1 shape that saw Julián Álvarez drop deeper and play a double pivot role alongside Rodri. Jérémy Doku occupied the right flank while Phil Foden started on the right flank, with midfield maestro Kevin De Bruyne operating in multiple midfield roles throughout the match to combat Chelsea’s tactics. Manuel Akanji would be seen to push into midfield on some occasions, turning City’s backline into a back three – this also allowed Álvarez to relax on his defensive duty slightly.

Chelsea started with a 4-2-3-1 formation that also experienced some fluidity during the 90 minutes. Cole Palmer had to work closely in a defensive capacity with Malo Gusto on the right flank, while Conor Gallagher also had an important defensive role, which we will discuss in more detail later in the analysis. Chelsea’s high-intensity pressing approach gave them opportunities to attack on the break, which is where the likes of Raheem Sterling and Cole Palmer proved to be important.