Why Chelsea were set up to fail against Brighton | OneFootball

Chelsea recorded a 4th loss in their last 10 matches, crashing out of the FA Cup with a 2-1 loss to Brighton, leaving the Blues with only the UEFA Conference League as their chance of silverware this season.

Enzo Maresca’s side held 57% of the ball, but only managed to take seven shots in the game (their worst shot tally in their last 10 matches) and failed to create a single “big chance” despite their extra clasp on the ball.

But the Blues starting XI tells the story before a ball was even kicked, with Nicolas Jackson missing due to injury which resulted in Christopher Nkunku starting as the number nine, with a wing pairing of Pedro Neto and Jadon Sancho, a front three which lacks balance and the necessary profiles to threaten.

The average positions from the game against Brighton show their lack of a “true nine” with Nkunku dropping so deep for his touches, that he often found himself in the same line as Cole Palmer and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.

Maresca had a slightly different approach in his build up against the Seagulls, looking to build from the back with a back four rather than their usual back three which often sees one of the fullbacks inverted alongside Caicedo. Instead, Malo Gusto and Marc Cucurella were set up to stay in their more nominal fullback positions, setting up with more of a 4-1 base (back four + Caicedo).

Brighton being a high pressing side that look to go man for man, averaging 19.83 possession won in the middle third (5th highest in the league) and averaging 4.42 possessions won in the attacking third (9th highest in the league), Maresca’s plan to deploy his fullbacks in their nominal positions rather than inverting, was to make the distances larger for the Brighton players, looking to open the space centrally once they initiated their press.

Whilst this worked to provide Chelsea with spaces to exploit, their ability to exploit the space fell flat with their profiles of players on the pitch.

Starting with Nkunku, you have a player who naturally gravitates towards the ball, looking to get touches, link with his teammates and arrive late in the box. However, as he was starting as the number nine in the absence of Jackson, Chelsea were missing those clever runs in behind the opposition defence, which often stretches the pitch and gives more space for the likes of Palmer to operate.

The 27-year-old Frenchman only managed one touch in the opposition box in 90 minutes, failing to take a single shot in the game. Now this isn’t to say it can’t work with a “false nine” dropping in, but the movements of other players are then required to stretch the pitch and threaten in behind instead, which yet again was something Chelsea failed to do due to their lack of runners on the pitch.

When you look at the touchmaps of Jadon Sancho (left) and Pedro Neto (right) you can see the lack of touches in central areas, often looking to hold the width and stretch the pitch, pinning the fullbacks out wide and looking to find 1v1 isolations.

However, when Nkunku is playing as a “false nine” these wingers should be making runs into the space vacated by Nkunku, who is dragging a central defender out of position with him when he drops into the midfield line. But yet again, Sancho and Neto are both players who want the ball to their feet, preferring to receive the ball in wider zones and link play with close proximity teammates.

This problem is further exemplified when you have Palmer as the number ten, who also wants the ball to feet, to drop and receive the ball to make things happen in deeper zones, which in combination left Chelsea with plenty of players who are comfortable on the ball, but none who want to run in behind and ask questions of the opposition defence.

Whilst it still isn’t perfect even when Jackson is in the team, one thing he certainly does provide is a willingness to make runs, stretch the game and ask questions of the opposition defenders. When he doesn’t play, it is important Maresca ensures another player is in the team who can offer that instead, which of the current available players to Maresca, is only really Noni Madueke.

Madueke’s touchmap against Ipswich shows the importance of runners in the team when surrounded by creators, as against Ipswich, Chelsea lined up with Joao Felix, Cole Palmer and Christopher Nkunku alongside Madueke.

Chelsea lost 2-0 to Ipswich, but the balance in attack was better than against Brighton, due to Madueke’s persistence to attack the box, make runs in behind and provide pockets of space for his teammates via his runs.

The Blues clearly have a very talented squad at their disposal, but a few contrasting profiles for Maresca to use in tandem with his technically efficient players could be exactly what is needed to take them to the next level, and put a stop to these toothless performances in attack.