Chelsea F.C. will host Sheffield United F.C, at Stamford Bridge for gameweek four of the Premier League season. The Blues’ will be hoping to build on the momentum of their first win of the season as the first international break period looms.

Both teams share identical records this season heading into this encounter, having won one, drawn one, and lost one, however, the Blades have a goal difference of 0, which places them in 9th position, whereas, the Blues have a goal difference of -3, which sees them occupying the 13th position in the table.

Tactical Analysis: Frank Lampard VS Chris Wilder:

This will be the third meeting of managers’, Frank Lampard and Chris Wilder in League play. Last season, both managers shared the spoils as then Derby County F.C., coach, Lampard led his team to a 2-1 victory at home, yet he suffered a 3-1 defeat to Wilder’s team away from home.

As the visiting manager, Wilder will have his work cutout for him, but he will trust in his players and his philosophy to try to get the job done. That philosophy is one which most fans would consider quite unorthodox. He swears by the 3-5-2 formation, but his variation of it is quite different to other managers. Rather than utilize the formation to allow for a more compact midfield block of five, Wilder utilizes this formation to allow his players maximum creative freedom on the ball. At any point in time, the player in possession of the ball can advance further up the pitch to create overlapping runs with the full backs, while a covering man deputizes for that player. His requires a lot of rotation on the pitch; his centre backs have freedom to advance further up the pitch, the midfielders can drop deeper to collect the ball and allow for other players to advance further up the pitch, and the strikers can play in a wider role as they are adaptable. All these things are dependent on how the opposition is playing, and what Wilder thinks is best for the team at that point in time.

While defending the football, his team can remain compact and revert to a 5-3-2 formation during periods of sustained pressure from the opposition. The midfield five can also put in a shift defensively and will drop back to defend when asked to do so. When attacking the opposition, Sheffield United play possession-based football and attack the oppositions wings with numbers. Aided by the centrebacks making overlapping runs, it is difficult for the opposition to account for the crowded wings, which in turn, allows for United to get balls into the box. Wilder will hope his adaptable shape with and without possession will cause Chelsea problems.

On the other end of the field, Lampard will most likely trot out a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 formation and will continue to implement his possession-based style of football. The key difference in this matchup will probably lie with the teams propensity to allow the wing backs’ freedom to advance forward. Due to United’s tendency to attack the wings, the Chelsea wingbacks will likely be asked to not advance forward as much as they would on average.

Predicted Lineups:

Prediction: Chelsea 2 Sheffield United 0

Though Sheffield United have shown a good account for themselves, so far this season, Chelsea will be a step too tall for the Blades’ as the team eases to a win at home and its first clean sheet of the Premier League season.

Chelsea F.C. will head to Carrow Road, Norwich, on Saturday to take on a rejuvenated Norwich City F.C. team in match week 3 of the Premier League season. Currently occupying 15th place in the table, the Blues’ will be searching for its first win of the season. Conversely, Norwich having already picked up three points on the back of a win against Newcastle United F.C., are currently occupying 11th place in the table.

Tactical Analysis: Daniel Farke VS Frank Lampard

This will be the third time managers, Daniel Farke and Frank Lampard will matchup against each other. The pair battled it out in the EFL Championship last season when Lampard was the manager of Derby County, playing out to a 1-1 draw at the IPro Stadium and a 4-3 Derby win at Carrow Road.

Farke is an attack-minded coach and his philosophy is similar to Lampard’s own. He wants his team to dominate possession of the football for 90 minutes and create goal-scoring opportunities. Still, he is also pragmatic when the opposition calls for him to be, and he can alter his tactics to a more counter-attacking style of play when possession of the football is difficult to come by. The German coach is consistent in his approach, as he consdiers his Norwich team to be well-oiled when it lines up in a 4-2-3-1 formation.

When attacking, his Norwich team will play very few long passes and try to retain possession of the football by playing shorter, accurate passes. Norwich will invite the opposition upon them and attempt to tire them out by forcing them into chasing the football around for 90 minutes. The Canaries will attempt to break down Chelsea by playing through balls in behind the Blues’ backline and advance toward the Chelsea goal with pace and numbers.

When defending, Farke asks for his team to press the opposition situationally, or when his players believe it is best to do so. As a result, his teams centre backs play a high line and his full backs play in a more advanced role when pressing. The backline can, at times, look like a back three due to the right back staying in advanced positions. During these times the backline will rotate their positions to accommodate the press. Though the team defend adequately, the main purpose of the situational press is to win the ball higher up the pitch to set themselves up for a quick counter-attack.

On the other side of the dugout, Lampard will ask for his team to execute his possession-based style of football, and will ask his team to be patient in its build up play. He will look to his wingers to create goal-scoring opportunities, supported by the overlapping full backs. He will try to attack mainly down the left side of the field and will attemp to catch the Norwich fullbacks out of position.

When defending, he will ask for his team to adopt a counter-pressing style of play, whereby the forward line and midfielders will be relentless in its attempt to win back possession of the football. This will set Chelsea up in a favourable position when the ball is won back successfully as the team will be in advanced attacking positions.

Predicted Chelsea Lineup and Team News:

Lampard is expected to trot out an unchanged backline, due to Antonio Rüdiger continuing his progress toward full fitness. In midfield, Ngolo Kanté should drop to the bench, or potentially miss the fixture all together after spraining his ankle. Deputizing for the Frenchman will be Matteo Kovacić, who will form a pivot with Jorginho Frello in midfield. Christian Pulisic should retain his spot on the left wing, as Callum Hudson Odoi is not yet ready to suit up, while Willian should get his first start of the season on the right wing. After scoring last week and putting in a man of the match performance last week, Mason Mount should retain his spot in the no.10 role, while Tammy Abraham return to the lineup in place of Olivier Giroud.

Predicted Norwich Lineup:

Prediction: Norwich 1 Chelsea 3

Norwich should present a difficult task for Chelsea, however, this should be the week that the Blues’ string together a solid performance. While Norwich will be relentless in its attacking style, Chelsea will break down the Canaries backline early on and and will break the deadlock. Norwich should find its way back into the game, and an eventual equalizer in the second half, but key changes from Lampard will lead to two unanswered goals and a Chelsea victory. As the Englishman did with his Derby team last season, he will lead the Blues’ to its first win of the season.

Chelsea F.C. will make its 2019-20 Premier League home debut, on Sunday, as the Blues’ will host east-midlands club, Leicester City F.C, at Stamford Bridge.

Both clubs are coming off unfavourable results after last weeks start to the Premier League, as Leicester City played out to a goalless draw at home against Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C., while Chelsea were battered 4-0 away to Manchester United F.C.

Tactical Analysis: Frank Lampard vs. Brendan Rodgers

Playing in his first home Premier League game as Chelsea boss, Frank Lampard will be out to prove to the fans and the rest of the league that his team is ready to challenge for a top six spot this season. As such, it is expected that the English boss will try to take the game to Leicester from the get-go. He should again line his team up in a 4-2-3-1, but there will be cause for rotation as a handful of players will be fatigued due to prolonged action in Wednesday’s Super Cup.

Lampard will expect his team to dominate possession of the football and he will call on his players to try to break the deadlock early. While possessing the football, Lampard’s team will build attacks from the centre of defence. Possession of the football will try to be retained by the teams centre backs and the supporting midfielders will drop deep to help retain possession. The ball will be moved among the backline and midfield, until a penetrative pass is unearthed towards the attacking line. Chelsea will need to be clinical when their chances arrive, as they will be hard to come by.

While attempting to gain possession of the football back, the English boss will call on his team to adapt a counter-press approach, whereby the front line and midfielders will mark the oppositions midfielders and defenders higher up the field. Setting his back line up will make it susceptible to forward runs from Leicester striker Jamie Vardy, however, Lampard will trust in his centre backs and full backs ability to track back and recover the ball.

Brendan Rodgers shares a similar possession-based football philosophy to Frank Lampard, however, he can also adopt a more pragmatic approach when the fixture does not favour his side. Last week, against Wolves, his team dominated a whopping 70% possession of the ball over 90 minutes, but against Chelsea that number should be split fairly evenly. I expect Rodgers will try to take the game to Chelsea for the majority of 90 minutes, but if Chelsea are dominating possession he will set his team up to counter-attack with the pace and skill of his midfielders and Vardy.

Predicted Chelsea Lineup and team news:

Andreas Christensen trained on Friday ahead of Sunday’s game, so he should retain his position at centre back along with Kurt Zouma. Despite both wing backs, Emerson Palmieri and Cesar Azpilicueta playing for 120 minutes in the Super Cup, the pair should also be in contention to start, due to uncertainty surrounding the future of 2nd choice full backs, Marcos Alonso and Davide Zappacosta.

At the heart of midfield, despite also playing for 120 minutes on Wednesday, Jorginho Frello should retain his role as field dictator along side Matteo Kovacic, who played 110 minutes of action. In front of them, Mason Mount should return to the lineup after playing just over 50 minutes off the bench on Wednesday, while the American star, Christian Pulisic should make his first Premier League start on the left wing, after playing just 74 minutes against Liverpool. Pedro should lineup on the right wing, despite also playing 120 minutes on Wednesday, and in order to not stunt the young strikers confidence, Lampard should trust in Tammy Abraham to again lead the line for the Blues’.

Predicted Leicester City Lineup:

Prediction: Chelsea 1 Leicester City 0

Chelsea should dominate possession within the first 15 minutes of the game and the team will try to get bodies forward in order to break the deadlock quickly. Through patient build up play and retention of the football, the Blues’ will find a way past the Leicester backline and Tammy Abraham will silence his haters by registering his first ever Premier League goal for the club. East Midlands outfit, Leicester will try to answer back, however, the team will not be clinical enough to get an ever-important tying goal. Eventually Lampard will throw on Ngolo Kanté, and possibly Antonio Rüdiger to see out the result and it will be curtains for Leicester City after 90 minutes. Brendan Rodgers will be left reeling as he will have to wait for his first victory against Chelsea after 13 attempts.

In the first-ever all-English UEFA Super Cup affair, 2018-19 UEFA Europa League winners, Chelsea F.C. will travel to Istanbul, Turkey on Wednesday, to take on 2018-19 UEFA Champions League winners, Liverpool F.C. in a battle for the first major piece of silverware for both clubs for the season.

tactical analysis: Jurgen Klopp vs. Frank Lampard

This will be the first time Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp has ever faced Chelsea in a UEFA sanctioned competition, however, the German tactician has an impressive record when competing in Europe, winning 47 times, drawing 21 times, and losing 24 times, across a span of 92 games. On the contrary, this will be Frank Lampard’s competitive managerial debut in a UEFA sanctioned competition.

Klopp is expected to line up in his trusted 4-3-3 formation in order to counter-press Chelsea. Popularized by Klopp, the counter-pressing style of play refers to a teams’ attempt to win back possession of the football immediately after losing it. The advantage of this style of play is such that it allows a team to set up in an offensive stance, even when defending the football, and when possession is won back, the team is set up to attack a vulnerable opposition defence.

While defending, Liverpool will play a high defensive line in order to keep the pressing compact. Led by the mastery of Virgil Van Dijk and Joel Matip the Reds’ defence will be organized and difficult to break down. In order to facilitate the counter-pressing style of play, wings backs, Andrew Robertson, and Trent Alexander-Arnold will take up positions in the midfield to force the opposition to move the football. Centre defensive midfielder, Fabinho will sit deep in order to help out the centre backs, while James Milner and Jordan Henderson will also help out with counter-pressing the opposition. The front three consisting of Sadio Mané, Roberto Firmino, and Mohammed Salah will also put in a shift while defending the football by pressing the oppositions backline in an attempt to win back possession of the football in the oppositions half.

When attacking Chelsea’s goal, Liverpool will play a mixture of possession-based football and counter-attacking football. When dominating possession of the football for long periods of time, the team will gradually move the ball from the defence to attack, and the focus will be on tiring out the opposition and exploiting open pockets of space. Conversely, when possession of the football is hard to come by, the team will set itself up to counter-attack the opposition and will get the ball toward the front three quickly, once possession of the football is won back.

Each player that makes up the Liverpool’s front three, is given license to rotate with one another dependent upon which is the best outlet towards the opposition goal. Wingers, Sadio Mané and Mohammed Salah can either drift wide or play central, whereas, centre forward, Roberto Firmino can drift wide to open up space for the wingers, or drop deep to play in a “false 9” role.

Contrariwise to Klopp, Frank Lampard has only been coaching at the highest level for a little over a month. While, the focus at Chelsea is to play an attacking brand of football, it will be difficult for the team to do that against Liverpools counter-press. And having been dished out a harsh reality of what managing at the top level looks like on Sunday, after losing 4-0 away to Manchester United, the English boss would be reluctant to take the game to Liverpool by playing an aggressive brand of football again. For that reason, it is possible that he will revert to a more pragmatic approach and set his team up in a 4-3-3 formation to match Liverpool.

When defending, Chelsea will sit deep in order to not get caught out by the pace of Liverpool on the break. Andreas Christensen and Kurt Zouma will make just their second start start as a defensive pairing, flanked by Marcos Alonso at left back and Cesar Azpilicueta at right back. The midfield three will consist of Jorginho Frello, Ross Barkley, and Matteo Kovacić, who will be tasked with counter-pressing the Liverpool midfield.

When attacking, Chelsea will try to move the ball quickly towards the front three of Christian Pulisic, Olivier Giroud, and Pedro. There will be a significant focus on getting the ball towards Giroud, who’s hold up play will allow time for the wingers and wing backs to exploit the open spaces which are left behind the oppositions wings. In periods where Chelsea are dominating possession of the football the team will try to retain its possession and force the oppositions press to one side of the field. If successful, the team will subsequently switch possession to the opposite side in an attempt to exploit the open pockets of space on the other side of the field.

Predicted Chelsea lineup:

Predicted Liverpool lineup:

Prediction: Chelsea 1 Liverpool 2 (AET)

Chelsea F.C. will travel to Old Trafford, Manchester, on Sunday, for the Blues’ opening game of the 2019-20 Premier League season.

Coming into this encounter Manchester United are unbeaten in their last six home matches against Chelsea, albeit, four of those matches have ended in a draw.

Tactical Analysis: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer vs. Frank Lampard:

Since taking charge of Manchester United, manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has only played Chelsea FC in the Premier League once, in a match that ended 1-1 at Old Trafford last season. Conversely, this will be Chelsea manager, Frank Lampard’s first Premier League match since taking the reign at Stamford Bridge.

Playing at home, it is expected that Solskjaer will attempt to unease Lampard in what will be the Englishman’s Premier League managerial debut. In order to do that, the Norwegian manager will employ an attacking 4-3-1-2 formation to try to force Chelsea to defend early and often.

While defending, the Red Devils’ boss will ask for his backline to remain compact and implement a pressing game. Led by the leadership and experience of Victor Lindelof and newcomer, Harry Maguire, the backline will play a higher than usual line to facilitate the transition from the defensive phase of the field to the attacking phase. Wing backs Luke Shaw and summer signing, Aaron Wan-Bissaka will either push forward or stay back depending on how the opposition are performing.

When attacking, the centre backs will be given license to beat the oppositions first line of press and play the ball towards the supporting midfielders Paul Pogba, Scott Mc Tominay, and Nemanja Matić. The attacking three consisting of Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, and Juan Mata, will also drop back in order to collect the ball in midfield and advance forward. This quick movement of the football will allow for United to play a free-flowing brand of football, in an attempt to tire out the oppositions press.

On the other side of the field, Lampard will probably set his team up in a more defensive 4-2-3-1 shape, in order to provide support to his inexperienced backline and implement a counter-attacking approach to the game.

When defending, the Blues’ boss will ask his more advanced players to press the opposition in an attempt to force them into making mistakes, however, the backline will remain deep in order to invite the opposition to attack with numbers. Both centre midfielders, Jorginho and Ngolo Kanté will form a pivot and will take turns putting in shifts defensively.

When attacking, the English manager will want his team to advance the ball quickly in order to catch the opposition out of shape and out of position quickly. Centre backs, Kurt Zouma and Andreas Christensen will be tasked with distributing long through balls to wingers Christian Pulisic and Pedro, to catch the opposition off guard. Centre forward, Tammy Abraham will be tasked with holding up possession and will try to link up play with centre attacking midfielder, Mason Mount and the wingers Christian Pulisic and Pedro.

In order for the Blues to exit Old Trafford with all three points, the team will need to defend diligently and be clinical with the few chances that it creates on the counter-attack. If the team experiences any defensive lapses they will be punished by the attacking prowess which United possesses.

Predicted Manchester United Lineup:

David De Gea should get the nod between the sticks as Solskjaer hands debuts to summer signings, Harry Maguire (centre back), and Aaron Wan-Bissaka (right back). The reliable, Victor Lindelof will lineup next to Maguire, while Luke Shaw will slot in at left back. The midfield three should consist of some combination of Paul Pogba (on the left), Mc Tominay (central), and Nemanja Matić (on the right). Leading the line for United will be the enticing young partnership of Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford, while Juan Mata will play the no.10 role behind the duo.

Predicted Chelsea Lineup:

Under the guidance of Lampard, Chelsea will undoubtedly look different this season. First choice goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga should get the call behind a back line consisting of; Emerson Palmieri at left back, Cesar Azpilicueta at right back, and Kurt Zouma and Andreas Christensen will form a Premier League defensive partnership for the first time in their careers. In front of the backline, Jorginho Frello and Ngolo Kantê will form a pivot in midfield, while Mason Mount will play an attacking midfield role behind striker Tammy Abraham and wingers, Christian Pulisic and Pedro.

Prediction: Chelsea 2 Manchester United 2

Most pundits believe this game will finish as either a stalemate or a share of the points with a goal a piece, however this match has the potential to be a high-scoring draw. Manchester United will play with intensity and pace from the kickoff, which will trouble Chelsea’s unpractised defensive pairing. The Red Devils will break the deadlock before half time through the pace and goal-scoring prowess of Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial.

Chelsea will eventually settle into the game in the second half, and buoyed by the passion of Lampard and the travelling fans, the Blues will find a way back into the game by testing the opposing teams untrained defensive pairing. Substitute Ross Barkley and Pedro will score the goals that prove to the rest of the league that this Chelsea squad will not go down without a fight this season as the Blues pick up their first point of the season.

It is official. Chelsea F.C. has announced that former player, Frank Lampard, will be the new manager of Chelsea Football Club. He will sign a three year contract with the club, which will make him the fourteenth manager of owner, Roman Abramovich’s era. He will be the first non-foreign to manage the club since 1996 (not including caretaker managers) and he will bring with him just one year of managerial experience. Chelsea have gone against the grain with this hire by hiring an inexperienced manager, but it could pay off in the long run.

In part 1 of the 2 part analysis of ‘Super Frank’ as he’s more commonly known by, I will examine and dissect four of the formations he may consider during the 2019/20 campaign.

The Seamless Transition: 4-3-3

Chelsea’s decision to hire Lampard signalled their intent to stick with a possession-based style of play. Picking up where former head coach, Maurizio Sarri left off, Lampard could utilize the 4-3-3 formation in order to create a seamless transition into his new managerial role. Under Sarri, the Blues lined up in a 4-3-3 formation for the entire Premier League campaign, yet at Derby County, Lampard favoured the formation for 28 of his 49 Championship games (including the playoffs). Though the formation may look the same on paper, there are key differences between the two managers’ approach to utilizing it. Sarri identified key roles for his midfield players, whereas, Lampard will give his midfield players more freedom to express themselves.

As outlined below, the position changes will be as follows…

• Central Midfielder – Sarri played with an Italian Regista, which is a deep-lying playmaker that dictates the flow of possession from defence to attack. He handpicked Jorginho Frello for the role and the Italian midfielder served as the ‘field general’ to relay ideas from his coach. Under Lampard, however, it is expected that he will opt for a more traditional central defensive midfielder, which points to Ngolo Kanté taking up his preferred position in midfield as a Carillero.
• Right and Left Central Midfielders – Sarri opted to play Kanté as the right central midfielder in his system. He operated as an Italian Mezzala, which could be roughly translated to a half-winger. The Frenchman was tasked with pressing opposing defences on the wing, in defence, and moving the ball outwards with speed and skill to create space in the middle of the field when attacking. On the left side of midfield he selected Matteo Kovacic as the Trequartista, which is an attacking midfielder, however, as the season progressed he attempted to convert the Croatian midfielder to a Regista to serve as cover for Jorginho. During that time both Ross Barkley and Ruben Loftus-Cheek rotated as the Trequartista due to their superior goal-scoring threat.
  As a Trequartista himself, Lampard favours not just one, but two of his former selves on either side of midfield. Jorginho should get the first crack at one of the roles due to seniority, and the injury to Loftus-Cheek, presents a great opportunity to youth standout, Mason Mount, to push for a starting berth.

Predicted starting 11: Kepa will retain his place between the sticks after a great debut season. The back line should also remain the same with the exception of Andreas Christensen being favoured for the right centre-back role over Antonio Rudiger. As mentioned before, Ngolo Kanté should return to a position of normalcy as the central defensive midfielder, and Mason Mount and Jorginho Frello will take up the more advanced positions in midfield, until Ruben Loftus-Cheek is healthy. Up front, the front three should consist of Willian on the left (until Hudson Odoi is fit), Christian Pulisic on the right, and either Tammy Abraham or Olivier Giroud leading the line.

Solidifying the Defence: 4-2-3-1

As he showed in his first season at Derby County he is open to changing his team’s formation based on the opposition he is facing. Taking a page out of former Chelsea manager, Jose Mourinho’s book, Lampard could line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in order to bring solidity to the defence. Last season, under Sarri, the Blues conceded 39 goals for the campaign at a rate of 1.03 per match. If Chelsea want to challenge for the league again, they will need to strengthen the backline. For comparison, the last two times the Blues won the league, they did so, conceding 0.84 goals per game under Mourinho in 2014-15 and 0.87 goals per game under Conte in the 2016-17 seasons respectively.

Predicted starting 11: The preferred backline should remain consistent when transitioning to a 4-2-3-1 formation. The pivot in midfield should consist of Ngolo Kanté and Jorginho Frello, however, as Loftus-Cheek regains fitness he could push Jorginho out of the lineup due to his capability to put in a shift on both ends of the pitch. Willian and Pulisic should play as the wide centre-attacking midfielders, while Mason Mount should play as the centre-attacking midfielder until Loftus-Cheek is fully fit.

The Wildcards 4-1-2-3 or 4-3-1-2

Amidst the prospect of serving a two-window transfer ban, it may seem as though Chelsea F.C. are ‘doomed’ next season, but, there are reasons to be optimistic about the Blues’ upcoming campaign. Outlined below are five reasons why.

1. We’re Back in the UEFA Champions League.

Following a one year hiatus from the competition, the Blues are back in the pinnacle of European Competition. On paper the team might not have the best squad, yet, it can take inspiration from neighbours; Tottenham Hotspur, who were losing finalists this season despite the team not signing any players for two transfer windows.

As current UEFA Europa League title holders the Blues have a chance to live up to its billing and possibly pull off a couple surprises a long the way. The ultimate goal would be to win the Champions League, yet, a more realistic target would be to advance past the round of 16, a feat which the team has failed to do since the 2013/14 season.

2. It’s the Perfect Opportunity to Assess Key Players in the ‘Loan Army’.

The Blues had a total of 42 players out on loan last season. The majority of these players may never start for Chelsea, but the few that might will have an incredible opportunity to do so this season. With the club facing a transfer ban, it will turn to its ‘loan army’ to make up numbers in the squad. While not all of the players will make the cut, at least most will get a fair chance to do so, which could be enough to take their games to the next level. Key players to keep an eye on include: Reece James, Tammy Abraham, Kurt Zouma, Tiemoue Bakayoko, Mason Mount, and Fikayo Tomori.

3. The Nostalgia will be Real.

The team looks to be turning to its old guard to fill key positions among the backroom staff of the club. The figurehead of the movement is Frank Lampard, or ‘SuperFrank’ , as he’s more commonly known, who looks set to become the teams new manager. Leading the charge at the helm is the teams former goalkeeper, Petr Cech, who looks set for a role as the clubs new Sporting Director. The number of old members of the all-time great Chelsea squad will continue to grow, as the team looks to its past players to guide the club in to the next generation.

4. A Top Four Placing is not Out of the Cards.

Due to the uncertainty surrounding the club, following the departure of Eden Hazard, Chelsea are considered outside favourites by the bookies to finish the 2019/20 season in a top four position. Whether or not that is fair assessment of a to a team that finished third in the league in the previous season, is up for debate, however, it seems as though the bookies are discounting the problems which the other competing clubs are facing.

Assuming it is Manchester City and Liverpool that round out the top two, the early favourites to finish third and fourth are Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United, respectively. Tottenham Hotspur will be dealing with uncertainty surrounding the future of manager, Mauricio Pochettino, for the entirety of the 2019/20 season as the number of clubs chasing the Argentine’s signature continues to grow. In addition, the team could lose a pivotal key member of the squad in Christian Eriksen. The Danish midfielder’s recent comments about searching for a “new challenge” do not bode well for the clubs chances of finishing in the top four again.

Manchester United, on the other hand, are a club in turmoil. Following a sixth place finish to the previous season, their is massive uncertainty surrounding manager, Ole Gunnar Solsjkaer and whether or not he is the right man for the job. Additionally, the club may lose its ‘face of the club’ in Paul Pogba, as Zinedine Zidane and Real Madrid continue to pursue the Frenchman’s signature.

5. Suffer Now, Reap the Rewards Later.

Chelsea will stockpile the monies it will earn from player sales in anticipation to spend it before 2020/21 season. As of this writing, the club has already recouped € 110 million for the sales of Eden Hazard and Ola Aina, and that number will inevitably grow as the team seeks to jettison the players which are deemed surplus to requirements. While, the 2019/20 season may pose many challenges, the 2020/21 season is one which Chelsea fans will look at with lots of optimism, as the team will have envious amounts of monies to throw at top players. Here’s to hoping they will get it right.

So while there are many hinderances surrounding the clubs prospects of a successful 2019/20 season, there is reason to be optimistic. The transfer ban will present an opportunity for the club to give its loanees and youngsters a fair shot at a starting berth, and the club will go through short term pains for long term gains. Up the Chels!

Chelsea F.C. are this seasons UEFA Europa League Champions due to a masterclass in coaching by coach Maurizio Sarri.

The Blues battered Arsenal F.C 4-1 due to an unquestionable self-belief by Sarri in both his system and his players. Simply put, Sarri out-coached Unai Emery in today’s final in every quadrant of the football field.

In defence:

In defence, Emery’s decision to stick with a back three was ill-advised, as it left his backline susceptible to Chelsea’s pace on the counter-attack. The chosen back three of Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Laurent Koscielny, and Nacho Monreal were left chasing shadows for most of the evening as the trio struggled mightily to deal with the pace and skill of Chelsea’s wingers, Eden Hazard and Pedro Rodrigues. Monreal, in particularly, was susceptible to the counter-attacking approach from Chelsea, as his heat map outlining his touches below illustrates. The unorthodox centre back remained wide for most of the game and even joined in on the offensive at times, which led to acres of space being open on the right side of midfield. Pedro and Ngolo Kantė capitalized upon these openings and the former scored as a result.

On the other side of the field, however, Sarri’s decision to stick with a trusted back four paid off as Chelsea remained narrow and forced Arsenals players onto the wings. Though this put a lot of pressure on both Cesar Azpilicueta and Emerson Palmieri, Sarri trusted in his players to get the job done. As a result, both players combined for seven tackles, which meant that Chelsea rarely had to call upon centre backs David Luiz and Andreas Christensen to put in a last-ditch challenge. In addition to their brilliant work defensively, the wing backs were relied upon to carry possession from defence to attack. Both players combined for 140 touches of the football, in comparison to Luiz and Christensen’s 84 total touches. Forcing the possession wide meant that the Arsenal wing backs were forced to come toward the ball, which left a lot of space between the wing backs and the centre backs to be exploited.

In midfield:

In midfield, Emery tried to win the battle of numbers by playing a four man midfield with two wing backs flanking either wing. However, as was previously stated, Sarri’s decision to go against the grain and force possession to the wing backs rather than the centre backs and Jorginho, forced the Arsenal wing backs to come forward, which also isolated the midfield pivot of Lucas Torreira and Granit Xhaka.

If we take a look at the heat map of Arsenal’s midfield, there is a clear concentration on occupying the spaces on both wings and in the centre of the park. Yet, what Arsenal failed to factor in, was the pace of Chelsea wingers Eden Hazard and Pedro to sit in behind those spaces and pounce on the counter-attack.

For Chelsea, Sarri’s midfield three consisting of Matteo Kovacic, Jorginho, and Ngolo Kanté combined for 198 of Chelsea’s 627 touches. Surprisingly, there was a decision made by Sarri to get the ball to Kovacic (78 touches), rather than Jorginho (69 touches) in an effort to force pressure down the left side of the field, mainly toward left winger, Eden Hazard.

In attack:

There isn’t much criticism toward Emery’s decision to play both Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in front of Mesut Özil because the pressure was on Arsenal to pull off a result. The main criticism directed toward the Spanish tactician, however, would be his decision to attack down the right channel. Forcing pressure down that side of the field led to Aubameyang drifting wide to serve as a passing option for Ainsely Maitland-Niles, and in doing so, Lacazette was left isolated and he failed capitalize on the few crosses that made its way into the box. A more direct approach would have suited Arsenal better as it would have put pressure on Chelsea’s backline and Jorginho.

For Chelsea, Sarri got his frontline spot on. All players complemented each other well, whic resulted in all three players showing up on the scoreline. The star of the show was undoubtedly Eden Hazard who’s 80 touches led every player on the field except Xhaka (84), and the Belgian ace completed 10 dribbles on his way to registering a brace. Olivier Giroud and Pedro also chipped in with a goal apiece. There isn’t much more to say about the frontline other than they did the job they set out to do.

Summary:

While Arsenal were poor for the majority of the match, Unai Emery set his team up to fail by relying upon an attacking approach. His trust in Aubameyang, Lacazette and Mesut Özil to produce up front led to a frail backline which was there for the taking. Chelsea were comfortable to sit back and absorb the pressure Arsenal threw at them in the second half, due to the reality that the counter-attack approach would eventually pay off. The the hold up play of Giroud, combined with the pace and skill of Hazard and Pedro on the wings was too much for Arsenal’s backline to contend with and the better team won on the day. As a result, Arsenal will have to wait at least another season before the team is competing in the Champions League again.

In part 3 of the UEFA Europa League Final preview some final notes/thoughts will be given and a winner will be chosen.

The favourite: Chelsea F.C. The Blues are favoured by the bookies in this matchup due to their fantastic form in the competition. With a total of 32 goals scored up to this point, no other team in the competition has scored more than Chelsea. In addition to scoring at will, the team has also controlled more possession of the ball than any other team in the tournament, averaging 62.9% of the ball per game.

The underdog: Arsenal F.C. Despite losing to Chelsea just once in the last 5 encounters, Arsenal F.C are the underdog in this matchup due to the teams tendency to play poorly away from home. The team has lost twice playing away from home since the start of the knockout stages, falling 1-0 to BATE Borisov in Belarus and 3-1 to Rennes in France in the rounds of 32 and 16 respectively.

Team News:

Chelsea: After injuring his knee in training, Ngolo Kanté is questionable to play. When questioned on whether the player would be fit to play in tomorrow’s game, Chelsea coach, Maurizio Sarri said there is a 50/50 chance. If the Frenchman is kept out, the onus will fall on Mateo Kovačić to play the defensive midfielder role in the squad, while Ross Barkley will take up the vacant position on the left side of midfield.

Arsenal: Apart from Henrikh Mkhitaryan not travelling with the Arsenal squad for personal reasons, Danny Welbeck is likely to get a call to the bench after returning to training later in the week.

Prediction: Chelsea 1 Arsenal 1. Arsenal win via Penalty Shoot Out

The first ten minutes of the game will be played at a staggered pace due to a combination of players’ nerves and the atmosphere (or lack of) in the Baku Olympic Stadium. By the quarter mark of the match, however, the tempo will begin to pick up and Arsenal will look the more threatening of the two teams. The Gunners will draw first blood through Alexandre Lacazette, however, as the Frenchman begins to pull out his imaginary flute, the goal will be called back due to a VAR decision. Woken up by the reality of almost conceding, Chelsea will grow into the game and start to control possession of the football, yet, goal scoring opportunities will be hard to come by. The half will end in a stalemate with the title on the line in the second.

As Chelsea has done for most of the season, the team will concede within the first ten minutes of the second half (possibly from a set piece) and this time the goal will stand. Forced with the prospect of scoring to stay alive, Chelsea will manage to reply with a goal of their own through Pedro. The momentum will shift in Chelsea’s favour as the team seeks out a game winning goal, but the final whistle will blow with both teams level.

Both teams will look leggy in extra time as fatigue sets in and as both 15 intervals come and go the penalty shoot out will determine a winner. In a reversal of roles Arsenal goalkeeper, Petr Cech will be the hero in the shootout, as he was in Munich, as he denies his former club a chance at a title this season. Chelsea will be denied the opportunity to send Eden Hazard (and possibly Sarri) off with one more trophy, however, Cech will be immortalized in the Arsenal fans’ books as the man who helped them to UEFA Champions League qualification for next season.