Premier League 2018/19: Bournemouth vs Chelsea

Its only been a week since Maurizio Sarri made a grand addition in Chelseas squad in the form of Gonzalo Higuain with the aim of enhancing Chelseas attacking strength. However, his boys still faced an embarrassing 4-0 defeat which slipped them out of the Champions League qualification spots where theyve been for a while.

The defeat is not in any way attributable to the Argentine international who just made his debut and still needs time to set himself up in Sarris Chelsea. It was rather both the laxity of Chelseas defence and the gap in Chelseas playmaking squad which was all behind the latest loss.

Throughout the 90 minutes, Chelsea couldnt create any significant chance except Kovacics headed shot which hit the crossbar out of the Croatians hard luck. This tactical analysis explains how Chelsea were stung by their flawed tactical schemes in both attacking and defensive phases and how Bournemouths pressing scheme worked wonders.

Lineups

Chelsea played with their usual 4-3-3 set up featuring debutant Gonzalo Higuain leading the front line. Meanwhile, Bournemouth started with a 4-2-3-1 line-up but mostly played with a more defensive 4-4-1-1 or 4-4-2 formation since they were not the ones dominating the possession.

Bournemouths ball-oriented press

The home team employed a ball-oriented press against their visitors. Near the halfway line, the Cherries were even more aggressive gegenpressing Chelsea, while they formed a flat low-block defence as the Blues approached the final third of the pitch.

In the image below, Bournemouth players were instigating their ball-oriented press as Chelsea reached their half with the ball.