Manchester United v Chelsea: tactical preview
The starting line-ups in the first leg
The only Champions League quarter-final that looks alive going into the second leg – all the focus here is on Carlo Ancelotti.
First, team news. Darren Fletcher is still unavailable and Rafael will have a late fitness test, but otherwise there are no major concerns for either side. No-one is suspended, and therefore both managers have a plethora of options for this contest.
Much of what was said in the preview for the first leg applies again here. The difference, of course, is that Chelsea need to score, and need to win. Therefore, Ancelotti is the man with the bigger decisions to make about strategy, and particularly how his side can offer more of a goal threat in the second leg.
Chelsea selection
With that in mind, it seems strange to suggest that Ancelotti’s first priority should be using another holding midfielder, but this seems to solve a lot of Chelsea’s problems – at least in theory. They had problems in the first leg with Wayne Rooney dropping between the lines, and both his goals at Stamford Bridge in the last six weeks – albeit very different types of goals – have come because Chelsea had no holding player picking him up. Ancelotti effectively won the league with a 1-2 victory at Old Trafford last season by using a 4-3-3 and dropping Drogba – could he repeat the trick here?
It seems increasingly certain that the 4-4-2 suits neither Frank Lampard nor Michael Essien. Both are constrained in this system, and besides, after both have endured significant injury problems in the last twelve months, neither has the energy to be getting through the work of three players between them.
Therefore, a return for Jon Obi Mikel could be on the cards – he started at the weekend against Wigan as Ancelotti tried a 4-3-3 in the first half. However, he was substituted at half time – and in fact, hasn’t completed 90 minutes since November 20th, so he’s clearly not an Ancelotti favourite. Instead, we may see Essien take up the holding role – as he did earlier this year – which is clearly not his best position when at his physical best, but may be the right solution for both him and Chelsea in the short term.
Frank Lampard would then be able to return to his natural position – breaking forward from a midfield three to join the front three, and Ramires could play his shuttling role on the right. Attention would then turn to the forward trio. Florent Malouda in for Yuri Zhirkov is a certainty, and then we’re back to the problem of which striker to drop. Nicolas Anelka is the only one of the three who can play wide-right, so he’ll start – and Ancelotti seemed to confirm yesterday that Torres would also play. Therefore, it would be a Malouda-Torres-Anelka frontline. Crucially, this would give Ancelotti the option to switch between 4-4-2 and 4-3-3, with Malouda dropping to the left of midfield, and Ramires moving to the right.
Potential alternative line-ups
It’s also likely we’ll see a change at right-back – Alex is fit again, and this would allow Branislav Ivanovic to move out to the flank. Jose Bosingwa made a mistake for the Rooney goal in the goal leg, and may be dropped. However, Ancelotti will remember that in last season’s victory away to United, his right-back, Paolo Ferreira, was crucial with attacking runs forward. Ivanovic is likely to start, but Bosingwa may be introduced later on if Chelsea need more attacking drive.
Manchester United selection
Sir Alex Ferguson may well choose the same side that started the first game – or at least keep the same system, with a couple of like-for-like changes. The two men Ferguson will consider bringing into the side are Nani and Paul Scholes. Ferguson likes to have Antonio Valencia up against Ashley Cole, so it’s difficult to see Nani playing on the right, but the Portuguese international may get a start on the left.
This could correspond with a slight change in formation for United, with Park Ji-Sung coming into the centre of the pitch, and Rooney playing upfront alone. United ended the first leg with Park in that position, and he also did a great job there against Milan last season. If Chelsea are looking to put more bodies in the midfield zone, Ferguson may respond in turn.
Chelsea strategy
‘Tempo’ was the key word for the first leg, and Chelsea will again want to make this more of a battle. They’ll be reluctant to start this way, though – United generally start games very well at home, and so getting through the first fifteen minutes unscathed may be Ancelotti’s approach, before steadily increasing the tempo from there.
Aside from stopping Rooney getting space between the lines, Chelsea must also put more pressure on Michael Carrick, who controlled the game in the first leg and also provided the superb crossfield pass that resulted in Rooney’s goal. Allowing Lampard to play higher up (with the use of a holding player behind) would help in this aspect.
The key for Chelsea, though, is interplay between the midfield and attack, particularly (assuming a 4-3-3) from the wide forwards. Again, this was something they did brilliantly at Old Trafford last season, as Malouda and Joe Cole (!) dropped deep to link play, as did Anelka in a false nine role. Ancelotti leaving out both Malouda and Anelka in the first leg was a bizarre decision – Malouda is always going to link play better than Zhirkov, and Anelka, of the three forwards, is most natural at dropping deep. Chelsea were much better in the final stages when those two were on the pitch.
Torres actually did reasonably well in the first game. In the middle of such a high-profile goalless run, any game without finding the net will go down as a bad performance – but his movement was good, and he’ll relish playing as a lone forward.
Manchester United strategy
It’s unlikely Ferguson will demand anything unusual from his players – United are in control of this tie, and he’ll expect his side to keep the ball and look to close out the contest. Again, Carrick is crucial in this respect.
The wide players will be instructed to do a good defensive job against Chelsea’s full-backs, and the central midfielders will have different duties if Chelsea switch to 4-3-3.
The ball is firmly in Ancelotti’s court, however. Ferguson’s major decisions – if there are any to make – will come midway through the game, if it is not going to plan for United.
Manchester United v Chelsea: tactical preview
I might get slated for saying this but I’d start Benayoun over Lampard.
I can see Ferguson adopting similar tactics to those he used against Arsenal in the FA Cup as the game wears on when he played very narrow and cut off space around the box. Without that space, Lampard is clearly a passenger in this team. He won’t get a shooting opportunity and his decisive passing in the middle and final third leaves a lot to be desired.
Chelsea seem to build up the play slowly, move it to the wings, try to beat the last man and put in a cross. When you have the aerial presence of Vidic and Ferdinand, crosses aren’t going to trouble them. Vidic is particularly troubled by movement and with Benayoun knowing the movement of Torres, I can see that being a crucial factor in not only getting a goal but getting Torres on the scoresheet.
I know it sounds absurd to drop the Premier League’s top goal scoring midfielder (probably) for a guy who hasn’t played in 6 months but United are far too well drilled defensively to allow Lampard one of his trademark late entries into the box.
I still see United going through. Chelsea have been far too poor since November to pull out a ‘European performance’ when it’s required. 0-0 or 1-0 United.
Oh and excellent preview ZM.
I agree with you Steven. I’d drop Lampard too. He’s far, far from his best since he returned from injury. Torres and Benyoun would make a good combination.
I disagree, IMO Lampard has been Chelsea’s best player aside from the defence and Ramires since he returned. If anyone is dropped it should be Essien, but I would still play them both. Benayoun has been out for a very long time, I think it’ll be better to put him on on the 60th min or something.
I agree, i think Benny should start, but i fear he is not fit enough. If you read the Chelsea website he said so himself.
“I have no pain so the only thing is the fitness. I did a sprint against Wigan and you think ‘Oh my God’ but then you recover. That is normal after nearly seven months out.”
Possibly bring him on after 55-60 minutes for Lamps if we need the change.
Great preview ZM.
Chelsea definetly need something new. Their lack of creativity is appalling, and Ancelotti changing to a 4-4-2 system eased that concern for some time, but I think in that respect Benayoun will be a very welcomed return.
Ancelotti must have the balls to drop Torres.
Bollocks, Torres is a legend. They paid £50 million for him! They should just field him.
It must be a sure bet that Torres will play the 90 (or even 120!) minutes. If he drops or subs him and they lose, Ancelotti won’t have a leg to stand on.
As I said… Drogba > Torres
Joe Cole(!) – I should put this comment on the Liverpool forum, but as you mentioned him here I’ll put my comment here – Suarez is what Joe Cole should have become by now, isn’t he – ?!?
Such a shame that Joe Cole hasn’t become the player he could have been……
…….oh, and Chelsea to win 3-2 (3-3 on aggregate), with Torres scoring a hat-trick……
“Suarez is what Joe Cole should have become by now, isn’t he?!”
In one word – yes.
In several – Joe Cole looked like a lad with that creative spark and ability to do something special with both feet. Essentially, he looked like being a defender’s worst nightmare. You just have to watch any one of Suarez’s games to realise that his movement is phenomenal.
Fast forward a decade and Joe Cole is just one of many players who failed to live up to their potential. He could have truly been a Chelsea and England great but it was either the form, the injuries or the bad attitude that ultimately cost him. Now he sits there collecting his £90k a week and saying how he needs time to get better. Either he peaked far too young (if you can call that a peak) or he just couldn’t consistently hack it at the highest level over a sustained period.
If I was Dalglish I’d get shot of him. He’s not fast enough to be a winger, he’s not creative enough to be a trequartista and he was never designed to play deeper.
As for the prediction, I’d love that mate.
My tongue was firmly in my cheek when I came up with that one, but, you never know……..
Didn’t Joe Cole win the Chelsea’s best player award just 3 years ago? It’s a shame what injuries can do, but I genuinely think he still has it.
Chelsea’s fans player of the season. That doesnt really mean that much.
4-3-3 for Chelsea with
—–Mikel—-
Ramires-Essien and
Kalou-Anelka-Malouda
anyone?
->It’s obvious IMO that Frankie Lampard does not have the stamina of the past and therefore his presence in the midfield hinders the pressure Chelsea needs to build on Carrick and Scholes.. If you search for the latest impressive Chelsea win, you will find the 2-4 against sunderland (with the diamond) and the 0-4 against Bolton with these 3 in the center..
-> Anelka can start upfront and link play like last year and Kalou and Malouda can be quite functional on the wings both offensivele and defensively..
An introduction of Drogba should take place final 20 minutes..
Torres? Not at all.. He is in poor shape from the WC on..
as always brilliant preview ZM!
Torres and Benayoun will be key. I’m not sure how, but all I know is they will be
The ref will look to be influential between the lines
Haha, I see what you did there!
Fergie’s job is so easy tonight, he is simply going to pick the same team as last time and have each player pick up a chelsea player, pressing high and bringing the game down to a series of individual battles.
Since Chelsea arent playing at all well recently, and some United players coming into form, United will always have the edge. This is what Fergie tried at SB in the league but came unstuck when they tried to sit and counter. Removing tactics from the equation is the best bet when it comes down to playing a team off form, and thats what fergie will do imo.
Chelsea dont really have a chance imo, and im a chelsea fan.
If Ferguson picks the same 4-4-2, he’ll come up against a 3 man midfield. Sure, Rooney can drop deep to occupy Mikel but would you really want Carrick up against Lampard in the hole?
I can see Ferguson going 4-5-1, Hernandez dropping to the bench with Nani on the left and Valencia on the right. That should be enough to stifle our attack.
Lampard is horrendously off form and any sort of man-marking system will cancel all of our players out, except maybe Ramires, the one player on form. But he doesnt really have the technique to hurt United.
Say Carrick is man marked out of the game or he has a shocker. What is united’s plan B and is it good enough to score against chelsea?
Agree totally that the spotlight’s on the wide forwards here. If I was Ancelotti I’d worry about Malouda and Anelka because as well as the linkage job they’re also going to have some defensive duties. It’s an extremely tall order for them and this is where the game will be won and lost.
Chelsea fan here and I don’t think Anelka should be anywhere near on this pitch. He maybe Chelsea’s leading scorer, but his goals have come against poor or average teams. Till date, he has not scored a goal against a top 4 side this season or last season either nor did he rack up an assist. Dider Drogba was the second scorer of the goal against Man U at Old Trafford and Anelka was the player subbed out because honestly speaking, he was quite poor. Joe Cole was the first scorer of that goal and it was all down to his individual brilliance. Anelka as Chelsea’s CF this season has been poor (Tottenham at White Hart lane and Pool at Anfield). Even as a player on the right, he has been largely ineffective, slowing down plays and killing counter attacks. He should not be anywhere on that pitch against Man U at Old Trafford.
I also don’t know about you guys, but a midfield 3 of Ramires, Lampard, Essien, and 2 in between wingers Anelka and Malouda have lacked any sort of genuine creativity for Didier and I doubt with that playing staff, we have any chance against Man U to create anything for Torres. Yossi Benayoun coming in as a sub was far more effective against Wigan for 45 minutes than Anelka and Malouda have been since like last year November. I also think Torres will benefit much more with Yossi on the right as he knows how to feed Torres from the wings during given their past relationship at Liverpool. Anelka may actually be a better fit on the left wing than Malouda in my opinion if he has to be included on the pitch. Even Kalou could be given a shot as he was the one scored against Inter at San Siro and was giving Maicon problems on that wing last season. Malouda though a scorer in the last match has been pretty poor and ineffective.
Frank Lampard is truly an untouchable who’s only quality is a finisher as a goal scorer and assists machine in the final third. After that though, he is pretty invincible as a midfielder. He is an efficient passer, but not a creator of chances which has been hurting us and our midfield. Hopefully, reverting back to the 4-3-3 will help him, but I have my doubts to be honest, because England reverted to a 4-3-3 and all he did was score a PK. Besides that, he was very very average just like he was against Wigan on Saturday where Carlo experimented with the 4-3-3 again during the first half. He is part of our non-creative problems which need to be addressed in the summer.
I agree with bits and disagree with others.
Anelka was instrumental in the 2-1 win over United at OT. He dragged players out of position and created holes for Malouda and Cole to exploit. Drogba is a lot more static and picked up MUCH easier by Vidic. Likewise, Lucio had very little trouble with Drogba over 2 legs last summer. Drogba is great at barging his way through defenders until he comes up against a battering ram himself and then he tends to be pretty ineffectual.
As for Kalou, he is far too inconsistent to throw him into such an important match. Sure, he scored that goal at Inter but considering that Julio Cesar unnecessarily flapped at it, I’d say he was lucky it wasn’t a routine save for a much better keeper.
My major gripe with Chelsea is Frank Lampard. In the Premier League against 4-4-2’s he is pretty much given all the time and space he needs to score goals. In Champions League matches he just can’t cut defences open. I would prefer it if he was relegated to the subs bench from next season with a young, creative trequartista being bought to support Torres and co. Too many people blame Torres for his lack of goals but when you look at the array of passes Lampard, our most creative midfielder, sends his way you’ll see that he just isn’t getting the service. Lampard either needs to develop his game (as Giggs did when he was in his 30s) or move down the pecking order.
I remember that goal clearly, but the goal pretty much didn’t have anything to do with Malouda exploiting the space created by Anelka dropping deep. During the goal event, Man U’s defense was sitting pretty deep. It is not like Malouda filled a hole behind Anelka’s dropping deep. The problem with Anelka these days is that he drops so deep, he moves to a midfielder role.
I agree with your points on Kalou and Lampard. I will prefer a 4-2-3-1/4-4-1-1 formation with either Kalou or Anelka behind Torres with Yossi and Yuri/Malouda on the wings. Kalou may be inconsistent as a winger, but he is clearly consistent behind the striker OR PAIRED with another striker. Remember Sunderland, Man City and Blackpool games. The striker has also mentioned that that is his preferred positioning. Sal is pretty good working in tight spaces, but when in a winger role, he is overthinks and looses possession easily.
I doubt Frank Lampard will ever be able to adjust his game like Scholes did whereby Scholes went from a scoring midfielder to an architect in midfield like Pirlo. Lamps game is based on his finishing and nothing hints to me he has the passing ability of players liken Scholes, Xavi or Pirlo. So I doubt he will adjust it. There is a reason Carlo is somewhat interested in Luka Modric which would cost an arm and a leg from the Spurs.
Haha. HEY!!!! The system you suggested for Chelsea is the one I suggested last week!!! What up with that???? >=0
But in all seriousness, I like this idea for Chelsea. It gets their players in positions they’re comfortable in and gets their best players on the field ( or not depending upon your opinion). Something even more interesting is if they allow Anelka to drop into the hole, switching the shape to a 4-2-3-1 at times.
For this game, Chelsea would either need a hard working false 9 to play 442 or a good holding player to play 451, but Chelsea do not really have the hard working false 9 (Anelka lazy, Kalou not really a central player, maybe Yossi??),…but maybe this would be a game where Obi Mikel could actually play well in..
I reckon Ancelotti will be forced to turn to his favoured 4-3-3 even if it means dropping Drogba, chelsea play better with this system and Lampard is so vital to their success, even though he has had a fairly poor season by his standards, he is a class midfielder with reall attacking threat. Also Benayoun would be a huge risk to start, he himself said that he is unfit and chelsea will need to play a high tempo game if they don’t want the likes of carrick to settle and stamp his authority. As for Man. Utd, 4-5-1 would be the best decision, playing tight and hitting them on the break could really pay off, as this isn’t a must win for them and you sense that chelsea will be really going for it. I personally think Anderson would be a good choice for this game, his and park’s energy would help break up play and allow carrick to play his kind of relaxed game. I realise that anderson is equally short on fitness as benayoun but he could be a real game changer, his all around midfield qualities are underrated if you ask me.
This is effectively the game that will decide Carlo’s future at Chelsea, imo. I’d love to comment on the tactical side of things but I’m just too scared I’m going to jinx something.
ZM, any chance of doing a tactical analysis of Torres’ positioning over the last five years and what formation gets the best out of him?
Torres at the point of a three or on his own is surely where he’s better suited. 4-4-2 is too flat for him, too congested. He seems more comfortable as the lone striker with a packed and quick-witted midfield behind him.
Just a thought…
Jonathan Wilson wrote a piece on Torres for Guardian the other day, you should check it out:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2011/apr/12/the-question-fernando-torres-chelsea
These previews are fast becoming my favourite thing on this site. Maybe in football media.
Yeah, they’re great, aren’t they……
Well done ZM! You nailed Chelsea’s lineup!
Like I thought, Anelka being the deeper striker, moving into the trequartista positions is not going to work. He is getting the ball where Lampard should be getting it.
The game summed up both teams’ seasons:
Man United didn’t destroy their opponents but did just enough when it mattered.
Chelsea huffed and puffed but essentially had no world class creative midfielders and too many players off form to grind out a victory.
Totally disagree on Chelsea. Chelsea don’t play to their strengths and that is the problem. At their best they would have wingers or Drogba work the channels pulling the opposition out of position to create space in the middle for players like Essien and Lampard to thrive. They just don’t do that anymore and constantly try to hit the middle having a lot of possesion 30 yards from goal. Full backs offer overlaps but these are mostly refused in favour of hitting the brick wall 30 yards from goal. Chelsea don’t need world class creative midfielders if they played to their strengths.
A note about the match. Why was Rooney allowed all the time in the world in deep positions and not tracked. Surely Ancelotti should have noticed this and got someone on him a la Essien on gerrard in the 2009 quarter final.
How can you play that system when Malouda has been woefully off-form this season, Lampard is quite honestly looking like a man way beyond his prime and even Essien barely puts in penetrative runs? Drogba himself has probably had his worst season in a Chelsea shirt since ‘05 but the majority of his bad performances have been deflected because of Torres.
I think the jig is up for this current Chelsea squad. Lampard (33 in June) and Essien have lost their midfield auras about them, Drogba (33) seems unnerved by Torres, Torres has no confidence, Malouda (31 in June) has been off form for far too long and Anelka (32) is far too ineffective in big games. As you can see, those 4 are now at the age when they’re going to need to be replaced.
Another point – these two defeats (when arguably, and a point I agree with, they were not playing to their strengths) also comes a year after the mirrored defeats to Inter (when arguably, those players just mentioned were all having their best seasons). Both times the team were let down by penetrative passing and (as you say) decided to just punt 30 yard balls to the attackers.
Chelsea make it far too easy for their opponents in the CL knockout phases.
Midfield is too congested. Where can Essien and Lampard make those runs? Chelsea are at their best playing at a higher tempo overloading the flanks. Malouda under Hiddink played as a hug the touchline winger which really is his natural game. His problem these days is he doesnt know his role.
The main problem is not playing with enough width or tempo which is a trademark of Italian football. I wonder where this derives from?
I disagree about Malouda, he is an inside forward really. At the beginning of the season a really effective ploy was to drop Drogba and Anelka deep and then have Malouda shoot through the gap between Fullback and Centre back to score, he was top scorer after a few games. It was a similar ploy to that of Rooney-Ronalod-Tevez of the seasons previous.
Just to note, Chelsea were just coming out of a really bad patch when we played inter. Despite the tactics not being right, later on in the season we would have given a much better account of ourselves i am sure.