FanPost

The Defense is the Problem: Stopping Crosses from the Wing



Old Chelsea was "parking the bus," New Chelsea is the MAZACAR but does not play defense with the same ability. This is because Chelsea is not built for defensive success with our current tactics and formations. Chelsea goes out in a 4-2-3-1 with the MAZACAR midfield and a Mikel and Ramires double pivot and one of our two incompetent strikers. The double Pivot serves to stop any counterattacks created by a dispossessing of the advanced midfield band that is too high up the field to properly track back. Thus far Mikel and Ramires have been adequate they either cut out attacks or force them too the wings. Thus most of the opponents attacking chances have come from the wing, a commonly known fact at WAGNH. Our Defensive Backs can be broken down like this:

Cahill, good in the air but poor in 1v1 on the wing

Cole, the exact opposite

Luiz, a good ball-winner but inconsistent and prone to mistakes, can be great or awful in either respect of marking in the air or 1v1

ManBear- Great in the air (most of the time) and decent in 1v1 but also inconsistent like Luiz

Bertrand, a less-skilled cole, also too small to be effective in the air

Terry- a defensive master who make those around him better in both regards, his abscense in the future is going to be obvious

Azpi- average in both regards, too early to say though

Too stop the balls on the wing the team can go about it in too ways 1. Stop the crosses at the source, 2. mark very well in the box. Chelsea has decided to do both okay but neither well. How many goals have come from a player getting semi-beat on the wing but the cross, either on the ground or in the air, finds an open man? All the goals against Shaktar came in this way, stock balls from the touchline. Thus Chelsea either needs to acquire better man markers or better wing defenders. Back in the old days of "Parking the Bus" Chelsea was strong in both regards but those personal are gone and Chelsea needs to work with what it has.

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