By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
FPL360
  • Latest News
  • Best Player Picks
  • Standings
  • Mobile
  • FPL Tips
  • Help
    • FPL Deadlines
    • FPL Rules
    • FPL Chips
    • FPL Scoring
    • What is FPL?
Reading: Chelsea miss Mount as Guardiola wrestles control back from Tuchel | Premier League
FPL360FPL360
Aa
  • Mobile
  • FPL Deadlines
  • Today Fixtures
  • Premier League Table
  • What is FPL?
Search
  • Latest News
  • Best Player Picks
  • Standings
  • Mobile
  • FPL Tips
  • Help
    • FPL Deadlines
    • FPL Rules
    • FPL Chips
    • FPL Scoring
    • What is FPL?
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
  • Price Changes
  • FPL Chips
  • FPL Transfers
  • FPL Rules
  • FPL Deadlines
  • Mobile
© FPL360.com. All Rights Reserved.
FPL360 > Blog > Uncategorized > Chelsea miss Mount as Guardiola wrestles control back from Tuchel | Premier League
Uncategorized

Chelsea miss Mount as Guardiola wrestles control back from Tuchel | Premier League

Kacper Wilkins
Last updated: 2021/09/26 at 2:33 PM
Kacper Wilkins 7 Min Read
Share


It’s dangerous always to elevate players in absentia, to assume that if only they had been there they would have produced a flawless game and performed absolutely to their maximum, but perhaps the biggest lesson from Saturday’s clash at Stamford Bridge was just what a good player Mason Mount is.

Chelsea so far this season had been the most impressive of the title contenders because they had seemed to have such balance between attack and defence – a quality that has become increasingly rare as the financial imbalances of the modern game have led superclubs to focus on the sort of glamorous signings more useful for breaking down stubborn but lesser opponents than controlling big games. But the longer Saturday’s game went on, the more it became apparent that Chelsea were not holding Manchester City and waiting to spring out on the counter; they were simply penned in, unable to free themselves from the excellence of City’s press.

If the shorthand explanation for Chelsea’s victory in the Champions League final is that City played with no deep-lying midfielders, the equivalent here perhaps is that Chelsea played with three. With Jorginho, N’Golo Kanté and Mateo Kovacic strung in front of the three central defenders, the front two of Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner became isolated, particularly as Chelsea’s wing-backs were driven back – a problem that worsened after Reece James was forced off, although it may simply be City grew in confidence in their method as the first half wore on.

Deprived of the ball for long periods, Lukaku, who has been majestic since his summer return to Chelsea, looked more like the Manchester United Lukaku, his touch heavy as he snatched at rare opportunities to break. Werner remained Werner, somebody willing to chase down every cul-de-sac just to make absolutely sure it is a cul-de-sac, but lacking the precision to hurt City.

Thomas Tuchel gestures to his players during a frustrating match for the Chelsea manager.
Thomas Tuchel gestures to his players during a frustrating match for the Chelsea manager. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

Perhaps if Mount had been there, or even if Kai Havertz had started, the link between back and front would have allowed Chelsea to escape their own half. Mount, as any coach who has worked with him will say, is a player of profound tactical intelligence. Perhaps then there would have been less tendency to play down the middle, to force City’s full-backs to do more defending and so to loosen their stranglehold over Chelsea’s wing-backs. Perhaps. It’s equally possible that would simply have weakened Chelsea defensively and City would have broken through earlier, that there wouldn’t have been that moment midway through the first half when a series of crosses mystifyingly aimed at Phil Foden provoked the the thought that Thomas Tuchel was once again getting the better of a tactical duel with Pep Guardiola.

Rodri and João Cancelo both excelled as did Bernardo Silva, his weird period of ostracism now seemingly over. Aymeric Laporte, similarly, played an important role after a summer in which he was regularly linked with a move away from the club, while John Stones and Raheem Sterling remain sidelined. The temptation is always to regard such things as being like the Politburo or a Tudor court with counsellors drifting in and out of favour but it may simply be that City have a very big and very talented squad and that some are always going to have to be left out.

But most of all this was a tactical triumph for Guardiola, a reassertion of authority after three successive defeats against the younger man. City’s press was superb, driving Chelsea back, forcing them to recycle across the back line, denying them the opportunity for even speculative balls over the top for Lukaku and Werner to chase.

Whatever claims could have been made at various points over the past couple of decades for the quality of the Premier League, this is probably the first time in 40 years in which it is playing host to the very highest and most advanced tactical battles. Guardiola, in his time at Barcelona, defined the modern landscape of football, reimagined what was possible in terms of possession and positioning.

The Fiver: sign up and get our daily football email.

Then came Jürgen Klopp – who, even with Liverpool’s comparatively slight resources, may still have a vital part in the title race – who challenged the Guardiola model with a style based more on regaining than retaining the ball. And now, as Guardiola began to respond to that challenge, here is Tuchel whose vision of the game is less about guiding chaos than about control, a reversion to something closer to Apollonian spirit of Guardiola’s Barça, but with a less idealistic streak, a greater willingness to play without the ball.

There was much grumbling towards the end of the first half about a supposed lack of action, as though football is supposed to be nothing more than stars turning tricks to be judged only on goalmouth action. But this was something altogether more satisfying, a high-level game between two high-level sides led by high-level coaches.

And this perhaps is the defining paradox of modern football. Increasingly, it feels like a game of celebrities, with clubs hailed for signing famous people, as though the real battle is for social media engagements. And yet at the same time, it has never been more complex or dependent on the subtle interactions of the team unit. Beyond the hype, modern football is a game of coaches and the Premier League is fortunate to host three of the very best.

This is an ongoing saga, one that will develop over the coming months and years, but Saturday saw the balance tip back towards the old master.



Source link

Kacper Wilkins September 26, 2021 September 26, 2021
Share This Article
Facebook Twitter Email Copy Link Print
Previous Article Varane leadership crucial ahead of first United Champions League start
Next Article UEFA Men’s Player of the Year winner Jorginho has discussed his speech after winning the award and has revealed his idea behind it.
Tottenham star Son fires warning to rivals after Arsenal fightback
Premier League
Arsenal legend Seaman surrounded by empty seats at Premier League stadium to raise awareness for hidden heart conditions
Premier League
Patrick Vieira not ruling out Arsenal comeback
Premier League
Chelsea’s £62m transfer flop Marc Cucurella targeting January exit after ZERO Premier League minutes under Pochettino
Premier League
“Premier League Market Values: Engage in the Debate Surrounding Declan Rice & Co.’s New Valuations”
Transfer Market
Klopp Faces Major Rebuilding Challenge as Liverpool Squad Value Plummets €280m since 2019
Transfer Market
O’Riley’s Market Value Soars, While Cifuentes Plummets Following Disappointing Start
Transfer Market
“From Rags to Riches: Arsenal’s Remarkable Journey to Creating the World’s Second Most Valuable Squad”
Transfer Market

You Might Also Like

Uncategorized

Mason Greenwood wanted to join Lazio on deadline day

3 weeks ago
Uncategorized

Manchester City ‘to offer Erling Haaland huge pay rise’ amid Real Madrid interest

3 weeks ago
Uncategorized

Arsenal VAR official selection raises serious questions

3 weeks ago
Uncategorized

Premier League Soccer Livestream: How to Watch Liverpool vs. Aston Villa From Anywhere

3 weeks ago

FPL360.COM

  • Latest News
  • Best Player Picks
  • Standings
  • Mobile
  • FPL Tips
  • Help

Socials

Facebook Instagram Rss
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?