UEFA Champions League 2020/21: Rennes vs Chelsea – tactical analysis

The second of Chelsea’s game against Rennes was played out on Tuesday but was in no part a walkover for the English side. The Blues battled to a lacklustre win thanks to a stoppage-time goal as the game was a constant battle for control with Rennes slowly getting better as the match wore on. We will look at how Chelsea managed to take three points and confirm qualification to the round of 16 being the first team to do so.

This tactical analysis will detail the tactics used by both Rennes and Chelsea in this UEFA Champions League tie.

Line-ups

The home side made a couple of changes since their last meeting with against Chelsea. For Rennes, Dalbert was suspended following his sending-off at Stamford Bridge, while the highly-rated 18-year-old Eduardo Camavinga started in midfield.

For Chelsea, there were four changes from their Premier League game against Newcastle with Thiago Silva, Jorginho, Cesar Azpilicueta, and Callum Hudson-Odoi all starting. N’Golo Kanté, Reece James, Hakim Ziyech, and Antonio Rudiger were rested given the crucial upcoming clash against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

Chelsea’s attacking tactics 

Chelsea were the dominant side for the opening 30 minutes where they were created a few goal-scoring chances whilst using familiar tactics. They set up in a 4-3-3 system that provided both protection to the back four but also allowed them numbers going forward. Playing Mason Mount and Mateo Kovačić gave Chelsea drive from midfield given their excellent ball skills and off-the-ball running. Jorginho was used as the side’s main creative outlet whose main job was to progress the ball forward and find openings for the wide players.

Chelsea had a balance on both sides with Azpilicueta as a more reserved full-back partnered with the more attacking Hudson-Odoi who can drift wide or come inside. On the other side, Timo Werner was used as an inside-forward with Ben Chilwell providing width.