Napoli 3-1 Chelsea: Ivanovic plays high up and Napoli exploit the space in behind him
The starting line-ups
Napoli played their classic counter-attacking game to put themselves in a strong position going into the second leg.
Walter Mazzarri was suspended from the touchline, so assistant Nicolo Frustalupi took charge. Morgan De Sanctis returned in goal, Hugo Campagnaro was fit to start, and Juan Zuniga was picked rather than Andrea Dossena on the left.
Andre Villas-Boas left out Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole, though the latter replaced Jose Bosingwa early on at left-back. Florent Malouda got a surprise start (though he has played the majority) of games in Europe this season. As expected, Didier Drogba played rather than Fernando Torres, while John Terry was out.
Formations
The use of Malouda meant Chelsea could play either a 4-3-3 or a 4-2-3-1. Malouda has sometimes played in the midfield three with Juan Mata out on the left – away at Norwich, for example. But the line-up hinted at a 4-2-3-1 with Malouda left and Mata centrally (Malouda rather than Lampard starting), and that’s the way Chelsea lined up.
The formation probably played into Napoli’s hands, and made the basic tactical battle much less exciting. 3 v 3 at the back for Napoli would have been interesting, but because Chelsea played a 4-2-3-1 and defended with two banks of four, they often looked like 4-4-1-1 without the ball. As a result, Napoli’s midfielders could largely leave Mata to the back three, and it was a simply 3 v 2 situation at the back. With 4 v 4 in midfield and 4 v 3 for Chelsea at the back, the formations were evenly-balanced.
Ivanovic v Lavezzi and Cavani
The game was a clear clash of styles, but the key was a battle in the Chelsea right-back zone. Branislav Ivanovic played an extremely attacking role, pushing very high on the right to allow Daniel Sturridge inside. He saw a lot of the ball, attempting 53 passes (compared to Cole and Bosingwa’s combined 35), but crucially, Ezequiel Lavezzi didn’t track him back all the way. With Napoli’s wing-backs retreating back to form a back five, and the home side playing seven players in predominantly defensive roles, Lavezzi could afford to stay high up the pitch and break into the space Ivanovic had vacated. Furthermore, Edinson Cavani made lots of runs into the left channel, which meant he and Lavezzi overloaded Gary Cahill.
Napoli started very direct and hit lots of long balls from deep into the space between Ivanovic and Cahill, with Lavezzi chasing a long Paolo Cannavaro ball in the first five minutes. That was a warning sign, and there no fewer than seven further crucial incidents that involved Cavani or Lavezzi getting space in behind Ivanovic, or between Ivanovic and Cahill:
10 mins Lavezzi drifted inside, Cavani moved to the left. Gokhan Inler hit a diagonal ball out to Cavani, who brought the ball down well for a one-on-one, and had a shot saved well by Petr Cech’s foot.
38 mins A slightly different scenario – Cavani moves left, then makes a run to take Ivanovic away – Lavezzi cuts inside and scores the first goal.
45 mins Cavani makes a run in behind Ivanovic, gets to Inler’s diagonal ball and turns the ball in for the second.
54 mins Ivanovic is on the halfway line as Napoli break quickly – Cahill is dragged towards Cavani in the centre, Lavezzi is all alone with a great chance to make it 3-1, but fires his shot wide of Cech’s left-hand post.
57 mins Ivanovic is caught high up the pitch at a transition, Napoli break through Lavezzi, and Cahill collects a yellow card after fouling him.
65 mins David Luiz defends poorly and is beaten to the ball by Cavani, but on the opposite flank Ivanovic (again defending much higher than the rest of the back four) allows Lavezzi to sprint past him for an open goal.
80 mins Ivanovic is again too high up the pitch and takes too long to get back and defend a Napoli attack – Marek Hamsik gets space on the left, squares the ball for Christian Maggio, and Cole clears off the line.
All these incidents can be viewed here
Things got better for Chelsea after 74 minutes, when the exhausted Lavezzi was taken off, with Blerim Džemaili replacing him, and playing more as a midfielder than a winger.
It was telling that Napoli created more chances by playing the ball to a position to the left of the pitch:
And maybe also relevant that they made very few interceptions on the right, with Lavezzi able to collect the ball on that flank from very straight passes:
There were, of course, other factors in the game. Chelsea left too many spaces at the back in general, and playing a double pivot of two shuttling players was a surprising move that meant little structure in midfield. The away side were always likely to be vulnerable to quick breaks, but it was amazing how often they were exposed in the same zone of the pitch.
Conclusion
Chelsea basically played the way Napoli would have wanted – they didn’t give them a numerical problem at the back, they committed too many men forward at 0-0 and 0-1 when they should have been patient to prevent Napoli breaking, and they also conceded too many free-kicks – 18 compared to Napoli’s 7.
But the main issue was at right-back, the position Chelsea have struggled in for years. Ivanovic is meant to be the best defensive option there, as a converted centre-back – but whether because of managerial instructions or his own poor positioning, he may have cost Chelsea the tie.
How great would Ivanovic be in Napolis back three?
Very good, I guess.
I think that Villas Boas wanted Ivanovic to push high up, to give width for the Sturrige, allowing him to get in the middle as inverted winger.
The problem is that Ramires was also instructed to break forward from deep positions so that created overload on left (Cahill’s) side, with smart runs from Cavani and Lavezzi.
ABOUT IVANOVIC
If we could except his positioning, he won lot of one on ones against oposition players, especially against Zuniga.
for me, I do not understand why they don’t play Britos.
Every time I watch him I get the sense Aronica is a disaster waiting to happen.
AVB should have played with a proper defensive mid,who could have covered for Ivanovic.Why isnt he playing Romeu these days,Chelsea’s best form this season has been when Romeu played.
It would mean Mata tracking Maggio in a 4-3-3
Struggle to see how Romeu would’ve been effective last night in such a chaotic match especially since it was away from home!
Surely Romeu would have done a better job than Meireles did,who didn’t do much going forward and failed to offer any protection to the back 4.His role in conceding the first goal clearly shows that he isnt a natural def mid and Romeu would have been a better option.
Agreed. Meireles gave way too much space away and was poor defensively. Romeu or at least Essien should have started.
Romeu would surely have influenced the tempo at which Chelsea played. Chelsea were hectic and greater patience would have certainly benefited in the first half. Long balls to Drogba and Sturridge were much too frequent. Also, Cahill would have appreciated a greater license to close down Lavezzi.
Let’s not forget that Maggio had a similar amount of space on the right between Cole and Malouda. The left-back was pushed back (most would prefer Cole going forward more than Ivanovic) and Malouda was inside, and uninterested in defending.
Haven’t watched the game yet, but from what I’ve been earing, and reading, it was a pretty much how it was expected to go: Napoles breaking quickly and taking advantage of Chelsea’s incoeherent line.
One important factor I didn’t count on was AVB fielding Meireles and Ramires with no one in behind! How absurd is that?!
They are both good players, I’d say Ramires is probably the most versatile, and in a sense easier to explain his selection for that “2″.
Meireles however, even though he has been used as an holding midfielder, isn’t clearly suited for such a positional role.
Regardless, neither of them can mantain their defensive position without resorting to pressure, and when playing 2 holding midfielders, standing off is crucial!
That’s clearly AVB’s fault.
Maybe he thought that Inler and Gargano wouldn’t venture forward… but the holes that open up by having those 2 in midfield are too much against a team that has 3 players (Lavezzi, Cavani and Hamsik) that are so good at exploiting those spaces.
Also I must add, that even though the 4-2-3-1 fits Mata’s style (and he’s clearly the best player on the team), it doesn’t seem to fit anyone else…
Malouda and Sturridge don’t track back, wich is a key element for wide midfileders in that system… the midfield as I described earlier, isn’t also at his best…
The questions I’ve asked at the start of the season remain unanswared:
Which system fits Chelsea’s squad the most?
And as Important:
Does Chelsea have the players to play as AVB wants?
And an even more controversial one:
How many of these players (from Chelsea) would start on the top european teams (Barça, Real, Utd,…)?
You may get an answer to that last question if Sir Odious buys Lampard to fill the role of ageing star, as Giggs and Scholes finally get too old for it.
The questions you end your post with are absolutely right.Villas-Boas has a very difficult job to do.Also signing Lukaku 6 months after signing Torres is absurd.Why sign the “new Drogba” when you hire a manager that will try to change the way the team play and is based around him?
Utd is a top euroepan team? They had the easiest run to the final last season and now are in the europa league despite getting the easiest group. top english team though.
3 finals from four years without significant investment(comparing to other giants) and they have tons of injuries this term, it is unfair to say they are not among the European top clubs.
By the way, Benfica is doing great in the Portuguese league this term and Basel just beat Bayern. Clearly, they are not the “easiest” opponents.
Well, lets put it like this:
If you wanted to build a wonder team, how far into it would you rememeber a Chelsea player? And an United one?
Depends on how you want your wonder team to play. If I want power football I’ll snatch Drogba, Essien, Lampard, Makelele, Cech, Cole, maybe even Terry, in their prime, off your hands immediately!
Keyphrase: “In their prime”
How long ago was that?
It’s great to talk about the past, but Chelsea are living in the momment, and in the momment the only player to still play at a top notch level is Cech.
answering the last bit, I think the following would play in most teams:
Mata
Essien
Drogba
Cech
Mikel, Sturridge, and Romeu (not to mention Lukaku) might all reach that level, though Mikel’s stagnation really does seem a shame
How would ya’ll suggest napoli line.up at stamford bridge to defend the lead? 4-1-4-1 anyone? Dossena-cannavaro campagnaro Maggio; gargano; pandev inler donadel Zuniga ; cavani …. Pandev defended down the left at inter and the rest just keep two banks of 4 with extra shield of gargano. Lavezzi or hamsik or other attackers could come on as subs to sink Chelsea – safe to say none of that Chelsea back line want to see lavezzi again, especially as a fresh sub on 60 minutes…
I don’t think napoli w ill play their tridente in London put it that way…
Napoles’ best bet for the away game is to play like they did yesterday.
Their 3-4-3 is able to soak a lot of pressure, has the 2 wing backs push back and convert into a back 5…
Gargano and Inler are very tactically gifted and energetic so they can switch very easily from a high line into a more defensive stance.
The front 3 are always a threat, especially considering Chelsea will have to push forward…
I’d say that this was expected to be Napoles’ most difficult game in this fixture… and it could have been if Chelsea sat deep…
Away from home, with Chelsea trailing and lots of space in behind, Napoles is a clear favourite at Stanford Bridge!
I think they’ll play with the same formation 3-4-3. They’ve been playing like that for a loooong time.
Obviously there would be small tweaking, like the Wingbacks would be slightly more conservative to form a back 5. And play on the counter again to exploit Chelsea’s shaky defense.
In that regards, Im thiking that Dossena would play as the LWB instead of Zuñiga, he is more defensive.
I’m just so confused on why AVB is so insistent on forcing his system on players who cannot play it. Ivanovic was so high up the pitch it was absurd. He is experienced enough to not be caught out of position this frequently. It seemed like a tactical decision, and as stated, played right into Napoli’s hands.
At 0-1 he should have been closer to his back 4, positioned as deep as Cole was. This would have given Napoli less space to counter. They were able to freely break even down a goal, which IMO, makes very little sense from a tactical standpoint. Ivanovic’s positioning may have cost them the tie.
I’m expecting Chelsea to lose at the Bridge. They are going to have to push forward for goals, yet again, leaving space for Cavani, and Lavezzi. The best way to beat Napoli is to get ahead, and keep the game narrow. Chelsea got ahead, and kept the game open, which was a ridiculous decision tactically from Villas-Boas.
This goes to show that coaches should adapt to the players they have, not the system they want. If you are going to play players in positions they aren’t comfortable playing, then you are failing as a coach. If I was a Chelsea fan, I would be extremely furious with how this season has gone. AVB being stubborn has cost them vital points this season.
I suspect that the pressure of negative comment is getting to AVB. If he had played defensively and Napoli had snatched a late win, people would have said that he’s abandoning his principles but still can’t win. I think he felt the need to show that he has strong beliefs in how to play, and convinced himself that they could overpower Napoli.
AVB was simply outclassed by Walter Mazzarri(Nicolo Frustalupi ).He had no idea how to score a goal and even when they scored luckily the first goal,Chelsea didn’t manage to play simple passing game.For me there was a huge gap between their high defence line and Drogba.This was caused by the very energetic movement of Napoli’s 3 in forward.Chelsea center players had no idea how to track them from early,so that Lavezzi and Hamsic wouldn’t be such a dangerous threat.
When I saw Chelsea’s lineup I thought it might have been a 3-4-3 replica of Napoli’s system: Ivanovic, Cahill, Luiz; Bosingwa, Ramires, Meireles, Malouda; Sturridge, Drogba, Mata – which would have been interesting, especially given Juventus’s relative success in mirroring opponents’ back threes.
I’m surprised you didn’t mention the high defensive line Chelsea were playing without consistent pressing in the middle of the park. Didn’t you think that had a consequence on much time Hamsik had on the ball and allowed Cavani and Lavezzi to make runs in behind?
At the start of the 2nd half there was so much space in the center it was crazy! And why wasn’t Malouda replaced at half time? Shocking performance from Chelsea yesterday. For a team so experienced in the Champions league they were very naive.
When you look at the Napoli formation, it looks like 3-4-3 rotated 45 degrees, with Cavani and Zuniga supporting Lavezzi in attack. Not something you see every day. By the way, I didn’t think Ivanovic had a horrible game, considering what his (obvious) instructions were, and that Ramires (who was supposed to cover the space he left, I presume) didn’t do much. You’d also have to ask AVB why he didn’t react to Napoli obviously attacking their right flank.
This.
AVB approach here is a joke.
Presumably force to change midfield personnel because of the row with Lampard pre-match.
This is one of those instance where poor man-management can affect the tactics used and consequently, results in second-rate performance.
Everyone know what happen as a result of this; he dropped Lampard and we’re treat with very incompetent midfield performance from Chelsea duo. Basically, Napoli just need to stand off and wait for one of Rami/Raul to misplace their pass and counter.
Ivanovic was in fact, winning most of his one-on-one battle. He is hardly at fault for being in ‘poor position’. Just that we have a clown of a manager at the moment. Clueless.
#ktbffh
In my opinion, other thing that really made difference in this game (besides the obvious awful game played by Cole and Ivanovic) was the two more defensive mind midfielders of Chelsea. Ramires and Meirelles had a terrible game. I just can’t see one technical reason for keep Essien on the bench for them.
And, David Luiz, seems to me a potencial defensive midfielder. He’s a good player. But he thinks too much as a playmaker (for instance, in the third goal, when he tried too take the ball off Cavani he was thinking not only about destroy the chance for Napoli, but also in keep the ball and create a chance for Chelsea).
Napoli – A well executed win.
In defense, the back three handled Drogba well, never letting him get into the game. They won most crosses in towards drogba and pressed him into giving the ball away whenever he got the ball in to his feet. They were less prepared for Mata, whos late runs caught them out a few times (especially for the goal). The usual problem with a back three is that one CB needs to be comfortable bringing the ball out of defense, and in Campagnarro, they had such a defender. He was able to move forward and start counter attacks well with some great long range passes. This is backed up with attempting the most passes of the whole team.
The wing-backs also did a good job, getting forward to stretch the play and help bring the ball forward. Zuniga was probably the better of the two, with play concentrated down his side, he was able to help overload Ivanovic. Both were caught out the break a few times, but with 3 CB’s behind them compared with Chelsea only having two (napoli were more comfortable committing forward.
In midfield, the partnership of gargano and Inhler was probably Napoli’s weak link. Both are similar players that like to sit deep and use a good range of passing to get the ball forward quickly, but aren’t comfortable when pressed, which the chelsea midfield did throughout. This was fine for Napoli as Campagnarro could move forward and had time on the ball, but if chelsea had accounted for that more they could have pressed Napoli into there own half quite well. The problem with the midfield two is that neither is comfortable moving forward to join the attack, so Chelsea were comfortable pressing and leaving space in behind.
The problem was leaving so much space between the defense and midfield (the Defense didnt push enough) meant a lot of space for Hamsik. He drifted into these positions well and found himself unmarked on the edge of the penalty area quite a few times. He also played some good balls out to the left channel to switch play excellently. The drawback was that he wasnt in a position to defend against Cole, who got forward into good positions.
The main attack for Napoli was Cavani and Lavezzi going down the left channel. Both were excellent combining well to overload Ivanovic along with Zuniga. Lavezzi used his pace well to get inbehind the defense and showed his killer instincts with his goal, which showed his good close control. Cavani also used his pace well on the break, but I was more impressed with how he dominated Cahill, winning everything that came his way and holding up the ball well when his colleagues needed to catch up with play.
Overall, Napoli were excellent, the back three kept Drogba at bay and Campagnarro moved out of defense to start counterattacks, then the front three did excellent to find space on the break, be it dropping deep in front of the defense (Hamsik) or running in behind (Cavani and Lavezzi).
I didn’t see Napoli in a good game. This match was a defeat of chelsea more than a victory of Napoli. Napoli had too much individual mistakes, low pass acuracy and they had just a few players attacking – usually 2 against 4 or 5. I understand that this is a style, waiting for counter attacks, but, even though, they could do it so much better. Hamsik had a terrible night and the midfielders didn’t support the offensive line.
Of course, they were brave, they played with their heart, they played as warriors… but this is not enough. Napoli could had demolished Chelsea, in one of the worst games by Chelsea on the season, but they were too weak. They need so much more, if they wanna win this competition – and, I think it’s possible.
I think Napoli played really well, if anything it was there CM’s who were poor, they were pressed out of the game and couldnt get a good control on the game, this meant Chelsea could break a few times themselves and Napoli couldnt sustain pressure.
But Hamsik had an okay game I thought, he didnt dominate it, as the play was down the opposite side, but he got into good positions off the ball and never wasted the ball when it came to him.
I think Chelsea’s approach wasn’t horrible, it wasn’t well executed or the players weren’t comfortable doing so.
If you see Napoli’s game, most of the goals started from the back with long balls to open space for the forwards to get it. Campagnaro and Cannavaro had pleeeeeeenty of time with the ball that they could just fire those long passes to the left side (exploiting Ivanovic’s space) and creating dangerous chances. If Chelsea pressures from the top they’ll have a better chance to score like they did with the first goal.
Other players that were very influential in Napoli’s game was Inler who assisted Cavani on the second goal, whom got plenty of time and space; while Chelsea was sitting back.
It’s true that Chelsea seems to have no idea how to approach games, at first they pressured high up in the field and playing with high-line; scored a goal. After they just forgot to pressure and assume that keeping possession, playing calm and sitting deeper would win them the game.
As much as I like ZonalMarking, Chelsea doing THAT bad at the moment does not reflect well on Michael’s previous articles. He was always one of those who hyped the ‘tactical genious’ AVB. Villas-Boas may get better and better when he gets older, but he definitely won’t be a great tactician at any time imho
See AvB’s season at Porto – where he had the players to implement the system he clearly envisions for Chelsea. A team with a hard-press, creativity and devastating finishing meant a whole season undefeated and they won every trophy on offer – including a European trophy.
His short stint at Academica and THAT season were the reason Porto installed a 15m release clause in his contract.
I won’t defend his poor tactical setup here – but you’re throwing the baby out with the bathwater if you claim he’s a poor manager or that this result is how we should define him.
He did after all want to bring in the ultra-goal-machine Falcao and allegedly Moutinho for this season… but the Torres situation brought about by the Big Boss (yet another Sheva story.. he might as well just start coaching the team) etc made that unworkable (along with Lukaku signing).
Will he get time to implement this so-called “3 year plan”? Only time will tell – but if he got Chelsea playing the sort of football Porto were playing, results like this would quickly be forgotten…
Was this match the perfect example of how NOT to play 4-2-3-1 ? I have been suggesting both Arsenal and Chelsea to switch to this formation as it gives defined player roles than 4-3-3. But what I saw was amazing.. the holding players were no longer ‘holding’. The full backs were ridiculously high up the pitch almost making it 3-3-3-1 at times when they had the ball. Still can’t figure out whats the idea behind.
Yes, Napoli play with 3 at the back but their most dangerous players are in the front.. AVB missed a simple task of marking out one of them by a holding player… He should watch how Bayern played them both in Munich and in Naples. Except for some times when they were sluggish and not due to any tactical reasons, they completely outplayed Napoli by exploiting the back.. Kroos and Ribery were excellent in picking out key passes. More importantly, they marked Lavezzi and Cavani out of the game and they rarely had any threatening counter attacks like yesterday.. I lost count of the number actually. Had Meireless kept a close watch on Lavezzi, the result would not have been so bad.. Atleast in that case, it would have been justified to use the attacking full back.. But what happened was utterly chaotic defensive performance by Chelsea.. They were clueless on what was happening that it has clearly overshadowed poor defensive performance by Napoli as well..
Well, to be fair, Bayern have better players for that approach – after all, with the sort of 4-2-3-1 that Chelsea played yesterday, picking from both teams, I’d have Gomez up top, Ribery, Mata, and Robben in behind, Schweinsteiger and Ramires (on form) or Essien (healthy) holding, and while I’m not sure for the defense, I know it would include Lahm and Neuer. Chelsea just don’t have the horses for that approach.
Well, they have better players, without doubt.. But the problem last night was more due to tactical naivety than player quality. If Tymoschuk can play as a holding player, Meireless/Ramires can do that as well. Its just that there was no plan to contain the front 3 especially Lavezzi..
Also, I find it difficult to accept that playing 3 in the back makes it difficult for the striker to score goals.. The solution is to stretch the back 3 by getting width and forward runs from the midfield just like Mata did yesterday.. Kroos had a similar goal the other night when he was left free.. Also, Gomez scored a hat trick in 30 minutes against them and could have scored at least 1 more.. with a better plan, Drogba should have got more service..
Its just that there was utterly no plan from AVB last night on how to approach this game both defensively and offensively.. Unless he changes things drastically in the return leg, there could be a repeat of last night again..
Chelsea – Absolute mess.
In defense, they just werent organised at all and were taken apart. Cahill was completely dominated by Cavani, outclassed in many ways, and didnt get any support from Luiz. Looking at this performance I wouldnt want to see Cahill playing for England a the Euro’s. He seemed targeted by Napoli, which showed in the stats as Luiz was given time on the ball a lot, showing his good skills on the ball, he actually started some good counterattacks himself. Luiz should have looked to cover his team mate more, but in the end it was Cahill who was poor and maybe Luiz needed a better CB next to him. If cahill was poor, Ivanovic was somehow worse, pushing forward when two/three players were breaking into his space. It was suicide, as Zuniga could afford to drop back and defend against him (with Ivanovic not exactly blessed with great ball skills) and this left both Lavezzi and Cavani able to run into the space he left behind. Cole had a better game, with no direct opponent he got forward to good effect, pushing back the usually effective Maggio.
In midfield, Meireles and Ramires was probably the wrong choice. You could see what AVB was trying to do, pressing the two Napoli CM’s to try and stop the supply to the forwards. But Hamsik was able to exploit the space they left between the midfield and defense, with the defense too scared to press as well with Cavani and Lavezzi’s pace. Chelsea ideally needed someone who could pull the strings from deep (a scholes) as the two Napoli CM’s were not gonna press forward, so he would have got time and space to dominate play. Romeu might have helped the defense out a bit more, but doesnt have the passing skills to have really dominated this game.
Outwide, Malouda was okay, but nothing special. He defended his flank well with Cole, though play was never down that side anyway. He got into some good positions a few times and probably had one of his better games, but he couldnt produce that special something and is probably set to leave this summer. Sturridge looked bright when in possession, he was usually doubled up on, but if Chelsea were gonna score it was gonna come from something down his side. He was the only player with pace and the ability to beat a man in the Chelsea side. But defensively he let his side down, failing to track back and help Ivanovic, he could have done a lot more, its this sort of experience and know-how that is missing in his game.
Further forward, Mata was excellent, easily a class above his team mates, he looked at home in the middle and found space easily with no Napoli player really tracking him. He made some excellent runs into the penalty area unmarked and when he was on the ball he made stuff happen. Lampard came on for Malouda and Mata moved wide, and Chelsea didnt look as good in possession any more, mata wasnt at the heart of everything and didnt track his man as well as Malouda. Drogba was up against 3 CB’s and didnt really get into the game. He sometimes dropped deep to win headers or hold the ball up, but was soon closed down and left Chelsea without a presence in the penalty area, with Mata hardly a target man when he switched positions to let drogba come deep.
Overall, Chelsea were poor, the left hand side of the defense was torn apart, the midfield didnt control the game and Drogba was marked out of the game. Mata and sturridge (occasionally) provided some inspiration, but they need help from a better team. With the tie at 3-1, Chelsea shouldnt be out of it, only a 2-0 win is needed, but against Napoli what you dont want to do is come out and attack them full on, they will just pick you off, like they did in this match pretty much.
Idea for Chelsea, why not play similar to napoli and have a back three?
A back three of Ivanovic – Terry – Luiz could be a good system. Ivanovic and Luiz have both played fullback, so both would be ideal for a outside CB, while Terry could be the sweeper. This would also work, as Luiz could bring the ball out of defense safe with the knowledge of two CB’s covering for him, and use his great ball skills to help out in midfield.
The two wing backs would be Bosingwa and Cole, both able to get up and down the flanks and provide width.
A front three of Mata in the hamsik role, floating around in deep positions and creating chances, Sturridge playing high up in the Lavezzi role, cutting in and Drogba leading the line, looking to win headers and run in behind. Maybe even Torres could perform that role if he could back into form, but right now i would stick with Drogba.
The midfield would be the problem, as Chelsea dont have the right sort of players. They would need two CM’s who were comfortable staying deep and with a good range of passing and technique. Meireles isnt disciplined enough, Lampard doesnt have the technique and Ramires doesnt have the passing range. Romeu could learn to play that position, though he would need to improve his passing range too, while Essien could do a good job I think, he has the experience and technique.
What do Chelsea fans think?
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Romeu’s technique and passing range is probably better than Essien’s and the front 3 you describe is basically what Chelsea already play and struggle to score goals.
The front three have been really good, its chelsea midfield and defense which needs revamping. Its almost like AVB started from the front.
Any defence that includes David Luiz is destined to conceed goals.
I think Ivanovich is just not 90 minutes fit – a few years ago, he back tracked well while picking his moments to go forward. His legs have noticeable gone and he’s been a liability
Napoli should buy a quick covering centreback so they can play higher
ivanovich this, ivanovich that. oh, please !
i don’t think any of napoli’s goal were ivanovich’s fault.
1) lavessi’s goal : meireless didn’t close him down.
2) cavani’s goal : nobody’s pressing inler and cahill’s poor positioning and antisipation.
3) lavessi’s last goal : a blunder from david luiz.
if a team playing with high defensive line (like chelsea that night) that will invite long balls. napoli is not a team who usually plays long balls forward. i don’t know if it was defensive tactical error from AVB or his players doesn’t implemented his tactic right, but if you play with high defensive line, you also must do high pressing too.
I beg your pardon?
I think Napoli ALWAYS try to play long balls forward, their attack is based on counter so long balls are more effective than short-quick passes.
It’s true that Chelsea were not careful with the highline; however, I do think that the fact that they stop pressuring their defense and midfielders prompt so many long balls. Campagnaro and Cannavaro and Inler got waaaaay too much time with the ball, free from pressure and they did the hell they wanted with those long passes.
i’m not sure if you watched the whole match. in the first half napoli was trying to build from the back. although they had tendency to use their wingbacks (zuniga and maggio)rather than their midfield, they rarely hit the ball long in first half. in this first half, ivanovich was rarely went forward (except in the last minute of first half) . he stopped lavessi from dribbling past him twice before lavessi change to centre and cavani to left flank. that’s when napoli started to score.
when the second half started, and napoli leading 2-1, they changed their gameplan. they started to hit long ball forward knowing that chelsea using high defensive line and probably chelsea players starting to get tired. that was when i started to wonder : which one is an english team and which one is an italian team ?
But if you followed Napoli more closely you’d realize this is plan A for them. Long balls and countering are their natural strategy. The first half didn’t suit Napoli, they are not good at breaking down a team caught without an attack, which is in part why their league form is not so brilliant. They sometimes get nicked by smaller teams. I genuinely feared Napoli would be caught out and played at their own game in the first half.
As much as the mind-numbing (surely that must be their only real purpose?) english commentators (I’m Canadian, so it’s not a completely hypocritical comment hehe)thought Chelsea were playing better at the opening of the second half, they were dead wrong. The status quo didn’t suit Napoli, once Chelsea started to break them down it became all too easy. Napoli should’ve scored more, but they were never in danger of conceding.
The return leg at the Bridge is now perfect for Napoli.
What would a Napoli-Barcelona encounter look like? Barca’s commitment to attack and a high defensive line (and this year’s defensive struggles) would seem to play right into to Napoli’s counter-attacking philosophy. Nick the ball off Barca (easier said than done, of course) and send the front 3 off to the races. How would you counter that?
As a napoli fan, my guess is it would end in 5-0 victory for Barcelona. The calibre of players they have is just unreal. Also, Cavani would score an awesome bicycle kick goal, but it would not count because Hamsik will go offside.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RsOQxMC-0w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGTSZpjcFQU
In a regular scenario, Alves might be caught up field, and Napoli will break. Hamsik (who I think is a little overrated), will be tracked by Busquets. Puyol, Pique, and Abidal will be to hold off Lavezzi and Cavani. Barcelona’s defense at this moment is shaky, but they seem to finally be getting their offense back to their best. I don’t see Napoli’s defense being able to hold off Barcelona offense.
IMO Madrid is better on the counterattack than Napoli and even they got smashed. The thing is Barcelona is so smart and used to playing teams that sit deep and counter that they will pass you to death patiently and not get out of position, your defense will open a hole (and 1 hole is all you need with Messi) before you can nick the ball of them.
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I thought Napoli also made a conscious effort to exploit the space between Malouda and Cole/Bosingwa, Napoli played numerous early balls to Maggio and started their attacks from there.
To me Chelsea needed one of their 3 central midfielders to step up and control the game, they all failed to do that. They should have been 3 v 2 in that area of the pitch. Either Mata needed to do a better job of finding space between Napoli’s CMs and their back 3, or Ramires or Meireles needed to control the game from deeper in the midfield (probably Ramires since he usually had more time on the ball).
Hopefully we see a Barca-Napoli matchup, that would be an interesting one to watch. Complete opposites but both entertaining.
AVB is shit and I think he’s beginning to realise it.
avb omg
I think what AVB is trying to do is admirable, but it’s also more than a little naive and mistimed. Playing a high-line, ultra-offensive 4-3-3 (with the forwards rarely dropping back) makes for really attractive football when everybody is on the same page, fitness is at a peak, youth is scattered throughout the squad, half the team has the ball skills of a Juan Mata or Daniel Sturridge, your centrebacks have pace, and so forth. But that isn’t the case in this Chelsea squad (nor the Inter Milan squad he’s recently been linked to — I can’t think of a more horrid and similar situation than in Milan). Now watching AVB try to fight against his coaching philosophy — “I’m a 4-3-3 person…” — almost feels like watching a fish forget to swim, and the variance of formations tried from the 4-2-1-3 to the 4-2-3-1 strike me less like measured tactical maneuvers than a kind of effete desperation that suddenly Villas-Boas’s worldview is crashing down like a house of cards. Looks like AVB could use a few pointers from the person he wants to emulate: Pep Guardiola.
As for the game, most everything has been mentioned except one and that is how putrid Gary Cahill was. It wasn’t the kind of performance that was noticeable — in fact, it was quite the opposite: a performance that tried to hide from notice, from the huge gaffe or scrutinizing tackle. I spent a good ten minutes early on watching him, his body language and movement, both of which exuded a kind of fear of being on a big stage and having to play against a trio of forwards that are as almost as good as any in European football. For all the caterwauling about Luiz, at least he had the audacity to step into the challenges that led to the goals, which is quite the opposite of the reactive demeanor of Cahill which framed him to the general public as an unfortunate passenger in an already sinking ship.
The problem in AVB’s philosophy is that he’s failing to execute it.
It’s wonderful to desire a high line and a pressuring midfield, but if you’re failing at it, and Chelsea have look lost throughout the season, then you need some adjustments.
Problem is his adjustments are not working… and so he makes more and more adjustments…
At this point he’s really streching it, and I doubt he’ll be able to turn things around.
One major issue with AVB’s success last season, was that Porto had already an established and successful squad, created by Jesualdo Ferreira, and AVB only had to tweak it a little.
This year Chelsea were set to have a fresh start… but AVB has failed throughout.
His only working bet is Sturridge.
Same problem Roma have. They literally have the understudy to Guardiola coaching them, but at the moment the squad isn’t appropriate to the tactics enough to get consistent results in that style. That’s not to say the basic principles aren’t there – Roma usually control possession and press admirably (as ZM noted after the Derby, the two Roma strikers/wingers/inverted forwards/whatever inadequate terminology tracked Lazio’s fullbacks all the way, but it made their counter-attacks blunt once they were down to ten men), but they’re not going to be challenging for Serie A this year, sadly. The problem is you have to adjust tactically in order to find achievable objectives, and Chelsea and Roma are both failing to do this.
In Rome though, the seat isn’t too hot because expectations are much lower and everyone is resigned to the fact that the squad and philosophy needs a refresh after the years under the old ownership exhausted every resource and scared off Luciano Spalletti. The owners back the new project, and have ambitions but are realistic. Not sure AVB has that luxury – maybe he should’ve angled for a job at less-fashionable Roma? Then again, with the money he has and some common sense AVB should be doing better, and Abramovich may not be entirely unjustified in canning him, even if the number of qualified replacements is minuscule.
paul lambert would be perfect at chelsea. can’t be bothered explaining my reasons now as it’s late and i’m tired, but i’ll just leave it to be mulled over.
Great site Michael
Cheers
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Excellent recap.
Upon seeing the starting XI, my initial opinion was that AVB was going for the surprise against Napoli by naming a different than expected lineup. If so, then it backfired horribly wrong, because Chelsea didn’t know what was coming and it hit them very hard.
As much as Chelsea scored a lucky goal, in the end Napoli proved to be a very strong side, with powerful midfield and lightning quick attackers. I would definitely like to see Napoli play against one of either sides for next round: Barca, Real or Bayern. Only Barca would probably knock them out, but as far as Real and Bayern, you cannot go wrong either side.
Btw, interesting how for every year, there a striker who is a flavor of the media as a target for every big club. Now it is Cavani, last year it was Falcao, few years back it was Fabiano from Sevilla etc…
Concerning your last paragraph,
The problem is that The Poacher is getting overlooked by the top teams… ZM has wrote about it often: top teams don’t have a classic poacher.
Cavani is a little less of a poacher than Fabiano/Falcão, he thrives in working the channels and has a lot more mobility than a classic poacher. On the other hand, I don’t think he can score as many as the other two regularly do (did in Fabiano’s case)…
Thanks for this blog, thanks for these posts! Lot of truth, fun and inspiration!
Amazingly poor tactical preparation, followed by a total lack of reaction from AVB… even if you don’t have quite the right players, surely the one’s you do have can roughly do a basic tactical job on the night. What was surprising about Napoli? they were shaky at the back, weak in the middle, but with a lethal 3 up front. Surely, surely, you can setup to counter this. Benitez at Liverpool would have had a total field day.
On the back of that, I can’t wait for chelsea-spurs. Bale will give ‘em hell. Redknapp will have been watching no doubt.
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What a shambolic performance from AVB, both tacticly and in terms of man-management. There hasn’t been much scrutiny of his man-management from the media who seem to be supporting him generally.
Dropping Lampard, Essien and Cole because they dared to critisce him at a clear the air meeting is infantile.The selection of Ramieres and Merelies in front of the back four was baffling. Romeu, Essien or Luiz would all have been better suited to playing these roles. At home to Valencia we defended very deep, had only 33% possession, yet Valencia hardly looked like scoring.Similair tactics here would surely have brought greater reward.Romeu has sometimes found the pace and intensity of the Premier league a struggle but surely he would have been more at home here.How many of us could see last season that Luiz should be playing in midfield, not Villas Boas obviously.Everyone wants Mata in behind the front man, yet this leaves a problem on the left, Malouda has been poor this season yet who else is there.I cannot see us turning this round unless a change is made. Zola in the short term, at least he would carry the players with him.
It’s a shame, Napoli doesn’t have a better back three, and it’s a shame the don’t have anyone, anyone on the bench, or this team would be contenders.
What happen to Eduardo Vargas, what a bust.
he was injured
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Napoli vs. Barcelona would be interesting coniderering Pep’s supposed analyses of all there opponents before the match.
In my opinion, Chelsea (or AVB) didn’t look as though they’d done there homework on Napoli. Lots of the other teams in Serie A seem to have got to grips with them somewhat but Chelsea didn’t play like they had enough respect for them in my opinion.
I guess that shifting playing style of established team is quite difficult task. Chelsea defend deep and press relentless from midfield, AVB want to push up defense line and press from opposition half. I don’t think one season is enough for this kind of big change.
How long it will take? Don’t know may be two seasons?
It’s easy to be right in hindsight. Also wanted to mention how many people have posted on this site how Napoli’s back 3 would never work in the Champions League, against bigger more prestigious sides, and how they’re not good enough to compete at the top level.
I’ll take a group of mediocre players (minus front 3) who play as a unit and believe in a system they use day-in and day-out over a bunch of superstars who have no idea what system they’re using.
I hope AVB succeeds at Chelsea because I like his philosophy, but he’s going to need time to build his squad how he wants it. If he resorts to playing old-school Chelsea ball every other game (which is what half of you are suggesting he do to win games), he’ll never have the chance to accomplish what he was brought in for. Simply put, IT’S NOT CHELSEA’S TIME TO SHINE UNDER HIM YET. Have a little patience. You couldn’t win it playing old-school Chelsea ball. Let the man try a new avenue.
The game is more than just X’s and O’s.
Mediocre?!
Campagnaro, Inler, Gargano, Magio and Zuniga are great players!
Make no mistake about it!
Just because they don’t play in a top team, it doesn’t mean they don’t have the talent!
I’m not saying they’re not good players. But they’re not players you will find on a Milan, Madrid, Barca, Man Utd, etc club… unless riding the bench.
I think they have the capability to compete against those sides, but man-for-man they’re not your first choice players. It’s their system and belief in it that makes them succeed.
You put this side in a 4-4-2, 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1 , or simply take away Mazzarri and watch Napoli easily become a mid-table team.
Lets agree to disagree!
I’d say Maggio, Inler, Gargano and Zuniga could be playing in a top club.
I could even go farther and say those 4 could start in Chelsea…
I believe Napoli is beatable by playing through the centre. Stretch the play, but kill them through the middle by shifting one of the wingers in there to create numerical advantage. They have 2 central midfielders and Aronica and Campagnaro tend to support the wing backs. Bayern took advantage out of that (I watched the match at home – 3:2) with their wingers Müller and Ribery moving towards the center and playing one-twos with Kroos or Schweinsteiger, caused confusion and Bayern were able to play vertical passes towards Gomez who exploited gaps between Cannavaro and one of his CB partners. Bayerns full backs were important to allow/help the wingers to get to the center.
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