Arsenal and Chelsea faced off against each other for the finals of the Europa League 2018/19. Both teams, separated by just a few miles, had to travel over 4000 kilometres to Baku, Azerbaijan.
This was the most important match of the season for both teams as it was the only opportunity to win some silverware. Both managers needed the victory – there were rumours surrounding Maurizio Sarri’s future at Stamford Bridge if he failed to win the Europa League. Unai Emery and Arsenal needed to win even more as this was their only route to ensure Champions League football next season.
This was the first European final Arsenal were in in thirteen years and the stakes couldn’t be higher for them.
In this tactical analysis, we’ll move away from the geopolitical issues surrounding the much-anticipated final including the fan allocations, Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s absence, and UEFA’s inaction on that matter and focus on how Chelsea thumped Arsenal resoundingly to win the first major trophy in Maurizio Sarri’s managing career.
Lineups
Sarri lined the blues up in his favoured 4-3-3. N’golo Kanté was the final addition to the side after he was declared fit to play later on during the day. He also favoured Olivier Giroud over Gonzalo Higuain because of the ex-Gunner’s mobility and higher work-rate. Matteo Kovačić started as the left midfielder while Pedro started on the right wing over Willian.
For Arsenal, Emery chose the three-man defence with a 3-4-1-2. Petr Čech started against his former club for the last match of his career, while Laurent Koscielny and Sokratis were the centre-back pairing. The midfield pivot chosen was that of Granit Xhaka and Lucas Torreira with the strong trio of Mesut Özil, Alexandre Lacazette, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
A tale of two halves
Both teams had by-and-large similar performance in the first half with neither side dominating each other. It might even be said that Arsenal were the better team in the first half if chances created are considered. Chelsea pressed aggressively up the pitch and saw more of the ball in the first half. However, they failed to create any clear-cut chances from high-quality areas.
Arsenal’s build-up
Arsenal lined up in their 3-4-1-2 in possession. The wingbacks stayed up high when Arsenal had the ball. Chelsea’s midfield was narrow. They were focused on protecting the centre. Arsenal did not have much difficulty reaching the middle third. This is because Arsenal mostly build through the wings. The outer centre-backs passed up to their respective wingbacks who tried to play it further down the flank to the striker making the run into space.
Subscribe To TFA To Unlock All Posts - Free 7 Day Trial
Try TFA Free For 7 Days
Gain access to all of TFA's premium contents.More than 12,000+ articles.
