Less possession but more control: why Tuchel’s boys are deserved semi-finalists

On Tuesday evening, we viewed the second leg tie between Chelsea and Porto in the UEFA Champions League, which was won by Porto, who did lose the overall tie. This tactical analysis will take a meticulous look at both side’s tactics, and how Porto managed to earn the victory. We will run through three key talking points, do an analysis of how Porto won this game, and what positives Chelsea can take heading into the semi-final.

Lineups

Chelsea (3-4-3): Edouard Mendy; César Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva, Antonio Rüdiger; Reece James, NGolo Kanté, Jorginho, Ben Chilwell; Mason Mount, Kai Havertz, Christian Pulisic.

Thomas Tuchel only had one injury issue to concern himself with, other than perhaps the potential problem of rushing Kanté back too quickly with no natural central-midfield options on the bench too. Noticeably, former Real Madrid man Mateo Kovačić was absent from the full squad due to an injury. Tuchel stuck with his front three from their 4-1 win over Crystal Place over the weekend, with no recognised striker and Havertz leading the line. Though, three #9s were on the bench raring to go.