I write about Chelsea and general PL topics for
@PrideOLondon
and
@BTLvid
, with a focus on tactics, data, and scouting. Guest contributor on
@1905pod
.
Estêvão Willian’s Ascending Path
A diamond emerging from the heat of competition
An in-depth player analysis and a comprehensive look into his tactical fit at Chelsea in 2025 🧵⤵️
@EstevaoWillian7
Chelsea VS Manchester City Tactical Analysis
The Chelsea Blueprint – Premier League Match Day 1
An opening-day tumble against the reigning champions
Detailed Thread 🧵
Samu Omorodion to Chelsea - Exploring one of the reasons why the Blues want to sign the Atletico Madrid striker.
'Creating the stylistic synergy with Nicolas Jackson.'
Thread 🧵
With Filip Jorgensen's move to Chelsea looking highly likely at this stage, I wanted to make a quick post about setting realistic expectations for the 22-year-old GK.
More below 🧵👇
Just a few notes on Maximilian Beier for the ones who do not know much about him:
(Note - It's just very quick research rather than an in-depth analysis)
I'd be happy to hear the thoughts of anyone who has performed a more detailed analysis of Beier.
For now, let's look at his
Victor Osimhen's Tactical Fit at Chelsea: A discussion about how the Napoli striker could impact Enzo Maresca's team in the three phases of play.
Thread 🧵
@Blue_Footy
A long road ahead to get to where Maresca would want Chelsea to be tactically. Fair to say that he's got the support of the majority of the fanbase. Hoping that he can deliver.
If Osimhen is allowed to break the wage structure, then Chelsea will have many long term issues. Existing players can question why they had to follow the rule. Future potential incomings have leverage to demand more.
Quite simply, as Chelsea have made it clear too, if Osimhen
Victor Osimhen is an amazing player, but only sign if he fits wage structure, with incentives to will get him similar/above his current wage if he succeeds.
We need a player that is committed and wants to fight for the shirt, and the wage structure must be sustained.
The huge benefit of having threatening wingers is that they will beginning attracting more defenders toward them.
Specifically, opposition managers will instruct two players to defend the winger when he has the ball on the flanks.
We saw that recently with Nico Williams in the
Yesterday, out of the blue,
@FabriceHawkins
exclusively broke a story that lit up the football world, announcing that Pedro Neto was close to joining Chelsea. Less than an hour later,
@FabrizioRomano
delivered his iconic ‘Here we go.’ By then, the Chelsea community was already in
@Blue_Footy
It was a well balanced line up but Nkunku's profile does not entirely suit that LW role. Neto would've been ideal, but it was too soon for him understandably.
I'm rewatching the Wolves game and just halfway through the first half, I thought Fernandez was really beneficial during deep build-up as he was important in bypassing the Wolves high press. Caicedo on his own can't do much and with the support they combine quite well, too. I
My main critic of Jackson's finishing is that he waits too much for the perfect scenario before attempting a shot. It's something I noted when I evaluated his 2023-24 season. And it's something evident on the pitch, too. That hesitancy was evident against City this season. Hope
Whenever I see a striker that lacks finishing, I judge whether they have the fundamentals to see if they are worth hyping.
Darwin Nunez is an example of someone who lacks fundamentals, finishing, brains, everything. He offers movement and pressing, but so does Usain Bolt.
Chelsea's Build-Up Shape
Ederson hit a long ball to Sanchez as soon as the game started, and we immediately saw the Blues' build-up shape. Chelsea, as expected, built with a 4-2 base against City's 5-man press.
Dribbling
When Neto drives with the ball at his feet, he becomes a dribbling machine. His low center of gravity, lightning pace, acceleration, ambidextrous footwork, and creative flair allow him to glide past opposition defenders and create havoc.
Neto attempts a high volume
Not going to agree with this.
Neto 100% raises the level of Chelsea's winger options. Takes their threat from the flanks to another level.
Neto (if fit - a huge if for sure) can be a very consistent outlet for chance creation. And Chelsea doesn't have such an option right
Are Chelsea going to replace Conor Gallagher, someone who was clearly one of their most important players, or are they going to keep signing players for big money that don't actually improve the first team?
Neto doesn't raise the level.
Top player but they don't need a winger..
I was going through my account analytics and saw that almost half my audience is based in Nigeria, with an overall 65%+ coming from Africa. That's amazing to see. Sending much appreciation and thanks to everyone in Africa 🤝
@Blue_Footy
I can't believe that this is a discussion right now when the PL season is just going to kick off next week. I hope fans at the Bridge will give him and the team support and back them.
@TheBlueDodger
@kierangill_DM
Most definitely. Let's hope that Maresca will adapt to the PL well. Considering that he's been around the atmosphere, I'm sure that he'll do fine.
@Blue_Footy
Clearly the Sporting Directors have proposed an attractive plan for all these youngsters. I'd love to know what they outlined like you said. Would be very interesting.
Initially, Chelsea really struggled to play out of the back - leading to turnovers or the Blues hitting the ball long to try and escape the danger.
However, that did work in some instances where Chelsea would find a runner over the top of City's backline.
@Blue_Footy
Definitely a drawback for Mudryk, but more holistically, it's a great and sensible addition to the squad. Neto adds competition to the right, too.
@Blue_Footy
Though I questioned the Felix transfer and am still skeptical of the rationale behind is transfer, there is no denying the benefits he brings. Mainly, he's a threat against low blocks. You need game changers in your team. Now, we have three - Palmer/Neto/Felix.
Over the course of
It's Maresca's solution in trying to play around Palace's mid block that is hard to break down through the middle directly. Instead, Chelsea pulled the possession wide before finding the penetrative ball for the 8s/attacked from wide.
Tactically, I think Sterling suits Maresca's profile for LW. But my concerns remain about his consistency - both, in terms of dribbling efficiency and end product (chance creation and finishing).
I think that Sterling and Mudryk should be given a shot next season, specifically
Chelsea's Build-Up
Maresca tweaked Chelsea’s build-up shape with Fofana drifting out wide to receive the ball. This disrupted Wolves’ press as the front 2 hesitated to press the Chelsea CBs since they had more distance to cover with Fofana’s positioning.
Chelsea In-Possession
It was a lob-sided 3-2-5 shape (with Cucurella a little advanced at times as well). However, Gusto's initial positioning in the first half was not very aggressive. That changed in the second half though as Gusto was higher up with Palmer tucking into the
I really don't get this because even if a club is willing to offer that asking price and Chelsea do sell, we'll have to fork out a similar figure to get another RW, especially as we near deadline day.
@TheBlueDodger
@MozoFootball
Those midfield duels are really important during this opening period of the season as our defensive line has looked vulnerable other times.
Tactical Conclusions & Final Thoughts
City was evidently the better team in all phases of play with Chelsea showing positive signs on the transition, counterpressing, and glimpses of good build-up play under pressure, but lacked the cutting edge in the final third.
Overall, of
Lineups
Chelsea’s lineup was altered compared to their starting XI against City with Palmer, Madueke, and Mudryk starting the match. Wolves had no changes apart from Cunha playing instead of Gomes.
(
@SofascoreINT
)
@Blue_Footy
Spot on, Vince. With PSG apparently not in the picture, doesn't Osimhen only technically have one choice if Chelsea doesn't budge? Maybe that's why Chelsea are so stern - because they know that he doesn't have any option. The Lukaku deal going through puts even more pressure.
Chelsea secured the first three points of their Premier League campaign after flying past Wolves with an impressive 2-6 scoreline. In this thread, I will analyze the key tactical points. Let’s dive in.
Chelsea's first Premier League game against reigning champions Manchester City did not go as well as planned. The Blues suffered a 2-0 defeat at the Bridge with Erling Haaland and Mateo Kovacic scoring the two goals. In this thread, I will analyze the match and discuss the
@MobyChe
Poch's changes to attack Nottingham's backline for 4 (it was 5 before Sterling scored) with 6 players is what created that goal. If you see, Gusto, who was playing in the right half-space, confused Toffolo (left-back), who jumped onto him - creating space for James down the wing.
A drawback worth noting is that Neto does not always have the most secure first touches—an area where he could improve. However, once he receives the ball and brings it under control, Neto is difficult to dispossess.
Stats from
@fbref
support this observation. Neto’s 2.61
@Blue_Footy
Would be a bit disappointed considering it's a position we should be strengthening. Still backing Jackson. Bit risky, considering if he gets injured, we have no proper backup apart from Guiu, who's only 18. Unless we see a false 9 system.
Introduction: Why Chelsea purchased Jørgensen
Over the past month, emerging reports suggested that Chelsea was back in the goalkeeper market after Đorđe Petrović was deemed unsuitable to Enzo Maresca's system.
The possession-heavy tactical approach requires the 'keeper to be