With tensions at an all-time high in this heated London derby, both Thomas Tuchel and Antonio Conte were shown the red card. Tensions were high from the start of a game that Chelsea controlled for the most part, and the hosts appeared to be on track to hold on for a win thanks to an outstanding early goal from Kalidou Koulibaly. Spurs were given a chance to get back into the game, but Tuchel and his team were frustrated when Pierre-Emile Hjbjerg’s equalizer was upheld despite a possible foul by Rodrigo Bentancur in the buildup. Tuchel ran down the sideline past Conte in celebration after Reece James scored a goal that gave Chelsea the lead back, but Conte got his own back when Harry Kane scored in stoppage time to tie the game. The players and staff members got into a huge scuffle after the managers shook hands after the game.
Temperature-wise, “hot,” between the benches, on the field, and among the spectators: “everything you want and hope for in a match like this early in the season,” said Tuchel. “No animosity or resentment exists. I think we both made fair tackles on the guy. We were all fighting for our respective teams and there were no personal insults or physical contact. I can’t believe we both got sent off for that.”
Checkout their lineups they used;
In possession: Chelsea
4-2-2-2
When Chelsea were out of possession, they would attack in a 4-2-2-2 formation. When defending, Ruben Loftus-Cheek lined up with the back four, but when attacking, he moved into the inside right channel. From this position, he launched dangerous forays forward, particularly when Spurs’ left wing-back Ryan Sessegnon rushed to close down right winger Reece James, who maintained the team’s attacking width (below). Mason Mount played the role of a second number 10 between the lines in the left inside channel, with Marc Cucurella providing width comparable to James’. Mount and Loftus-Cheek were given more room to operate in the middle of the field thanks to Raheem Sterling and Kai Havertz, who were deployed as a front two, working between the visitors’ three center backs.
A multitude of combinations
Mount and Cucurella on the left and James and Loftus-Cheek on the right dovetailed well to help Chelsea dominate possession around Tottenham’s second line. On each side, one player maintained width while the other narrowed in to take advantage of passing lanes. Tottenham’s three central defenders were stretched out due to runs in behind from Sterling and Havertz, while Sessegnon and Emerson Royal struggled to cover the distances necessary to confront the ball-carrier when play was pushed out wide (below). Tottenham’s central defenders prioritized overloading Chelsea’s two centre-forwards once Chelsea entered the final third, allowing the home team to routinely advance into the penalty area, although clear-cut chances still proved difficult to come by.
Shifts from the center of the field
After switching to a back four, Tottenham regained some control of the game and slowed down Chelsea’s buildup play, but this left gaps in the middle of the field, especially during transitions. Cucurella and Loftus-Cheek, in particular, were put in more 1v1 situations whenever Chelsea moved the ball away from the crowded central area (below). Davies, playing left back, was more reserved despite Emerson’s overlapping runs’ increased pressure on Cucurella. Since he wasn’t asked to drop as deep, Loftus-Cheek was free to contribute more going forward in the second half.
After the equalizer, Tuchel had this to say.
After seeing what success Conte had with a 3-2-1-2 formation, Tuchel opted for a 3-4-3 in the second half. In his new position as right wing-back, James posed a serious threat to Tottenham’s defense by drawing the team’s left back away from the rest of the defense. Spurs’ depleted back line allowed Chelsea’s Sterling and Havertz more space to work, and Havertz squandered a fantastic opportunity to put the Blues up 2-1 after a spectacular cross from James. Tuchel’s revamped formation for Chelsea kept them dangerous in transition. Since wing-backs were free to counter-attack from a more advantageous starting position (below), they frequently attempted to outrun Tottenham’s full-backs. James was able to break free and almost score the game-winning goal.
In possession: Tottenham
Their Possession
Spurs attacked from their standard 3-4-2-1 formation, with Harry Kane frequently moving to the right inside channel. Because of this shift, Dejan Kulusevski was able to stay out wide for a longer period of time, while Emerson Royal was able to contribute underlapping runs from wing-back (below). Spurs’ left side was regularly undermanned in the attack because Son Heung-min switched to play centrally at times. Ryan Sessegnon doubled back on the flanks, where Ruben Loftus-Cheek wasn’t able to follow him as closely because he was retreating. However, Spurs had a hard time penetrating Chelsea’s defensive pressure. With the exception of a few fleeting combinations down the right flank, they were unable to seriously threaten Chelsea’s defense when they were out of possession.
Challenges in construction
Spurs had a hard time breaking through Chelsea’s midfield block as Raheem Sterling and Kai Havertz, although being underloaded, pressed the visiting team’s three central defenders very successfully. As a result of Chelsea’s lack of depth up top, both Thiago Silva and Kalidou Koulibaly were able to track Kane down when he dropped to receive. When Son would make a run, Reece James would track him down and snap at his heels to win the ball, rendering his runs futile, allowing Ryan Sessegnon to pounce on the opening. Hjbjerg went back into the defense to cover for Sterling as left center back Ben Davies advanced up the field (below). Then, a Chelsea midfielder, either Mason Mount or N’Golo Kanté, pressed alongside Havertz in the first line, with the Blues easily keeping up with any Spurs rotations.
Modification of Form
At the start of the second half, as Tottenham struggled to keep up with Chelsea’s number 10s, Conte shifted to a back four formation. To create a 4-2-3-1 formation, Son, Richarlison, Kane, and Kulusevski rotated in front of the double pivot, while Davies and Emerson were turned into full backs to give width (below). Because of this, Tottenham’s central midfielders were free to spread out and protect the inside passing lanes, all while posing a threat to the three central defenders for the home team.
Core improvements
Both Kane and Richarlison made sure that Tottenham always had a player making a run in behind, which wasn’t always the case in the first half as the front line kept dropping short to receive. Chelsea’s central midfield was overburdened due to Son and Kulusevski’s rotation and dropping (below). As a result, the opposition was able to frequently penetrate Chelsea’s defensive third through the flanks and into the final third. Spurs scored a late equalizer that enraged Tuchel from the sidelines thanks to aggressive play from the fullbacks, particularly Emerson on the right.
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