Can anyone stop this Brighton attack?
Chelsea tried over the weekend and were handed a 2-1 loss at Stamford Bridge.
There was no slowing Roberto De Zerbi’s side down.
That got us at Total Football Analysis thinking…how do you stop this explosive attacking side?
Their brilliant direct possession tactics set up quick moves toward goal in a calm, calculated manner.
They take on risk early to spring quick, vertical attacks to goal.
This tactical analysis will look at how Brighton attacked Chelsea over the weekend, and then give concrete examples of clubs that have contained this brilliant attacking team.
Well give examples of successful high press and mid-block tactics, serving as a scout report on engaging the early phases of the Seagulls attack.
Buckle up because were on a mission to stop Brighton.
Breaking down Chelsea
As we flesh out ideas on how to defend against the first two phases of Brightons attack, the first thing to establish is exactly how they progress the ball.
Theres no better place to start than their match over the weekend against Chelsea.
De Zerbi’s men struggled against the Chelsea high press early in the first half, but grew into the game, systematically picking apart the London side.
The first image gives a really good tactical overview of Brightons asymmetric build-out.
The centre-backs offer two deep options while two midfielders drop in centrally to offer protection against the counterattack in case of a loss in possession.
The outside-backs push high and wide, two players offer a presence in each of the half-spaces, and the two highest players engage Chelseas outside centre-backs.
In this instance, Chelseas aggressive high press, which includes that high central square that well talk about later in the analysis, forces Brighton to play long into the left wing.
Chelseas high press was designed to either force Brighton to play long into 1v1 battles or risk playing out on the ground against a well-positioned press.
One of the triggers Chelsea was looking for was the pass into the outside-backs as Brighton played around the press.
Thats exactly what we find in the image below as Mykhailo Mud
