In 2022/23 Premier League’s one of the second week matches, Chelsea drew with Tottenham 2-2. Both Chelsea and Tottenham played with 3-4-3 line up. When Chelsea were pressing high, they were looking like that. But I won’t dwell on all the high pressing. I will just look at the thing about how Chelsea’s 2 centre forwards Havertz and Sterling pressed so smart against Tottenham’s 3 stoppers.
Before starting I want to say that, Chelsea didn’t use the things that I will tell you during the whole match. But a lot of times they used and it was so effective.
Normally, when one team tries to make game from behind against opponent’s high pressing with 3 stoppers against 2 centre forwards, because 3 stoppers have numerical advantage against 2 centre forwards, defending team has to send an extra player to keep high pressing effectively. Because if you press high, probably you would try to take the ball as quickly as possible and because to do that, you raise the tempo with high pressing, if you can’t take the ball quickly, in the end, your players will be tired and the energy that you use becomes more than the result’s productivity. So this time, it would be an unproductive pressing.
And to press high productively, of course you would want to match attacking team’s defending players quickly when they take the ball. Your players don’t need to match directly before the ball reaches the attacking team’s defending players but at least they have to be closer.
If we go back to our situation, when Tottenham’s 3 stoppers try to make game against 2 centre forwards, Chelsea’s 2 centre forwards didn’t get so much support from their behind. A lot of times Mason Mount closed to centre forwards and they met stoppers 1 by 1 and then stoppers had to play quickly and directly too much but as I said before, the thing that I will explain wasn’t used by Chelsea all the time. But when they used, it was so effective.
When one of the stoppers took the ball, one centre forward closed to him and didn’t let him pass the ball to the free stopper with his movement and body shape. So this time, stopper had to go with the ball to the space that Chelsea’s players had intensity or had to play long with hurry before centre forward caught him. With a position, we can understand better.
In this position, the ball goes to Tottenham’s left stopper. And Chelsea’s one of the centre forwards closes to him. When centre forward closes to stopper, he closes by cutting the connection between left stopper and centre stopper. Centre forward gives more space to left stopper’s front. So now passing the ball to centre stopper is a little bit risky for left stopper.
Then when left stopper literally just takes the ball, centre forward takes position more closely to the connection between left stopper and centre stopper. So now passing the ball to the centre stopper is more risky than the previous situation. And when centre forward takes position like that, he gives more space for left stopper to dribble forward from wing.
Then left stopper starts to dribble forward from wing. And because now he completely turns his body to forward and accords his body shape for dribbling, he can’t pass to centre stopper. So now centre forward stops to take position to cut the connection between left stopper and centre stopper and starts to run to left stopper to cover him.
Because centre forward was according his positioning to cut the connection between left stopper and centre stopper, now, left stopper’s space that he can use for dribbling becomes more. So before centre forward covers him, he has a little bit time and space. But left stopper can’t use this time and space effectively.
Because when he goes forward from wing, Chelsea’s right wing back matches with Tottenham’s left wing back, Chelsea’s right stopper matches with Tottenham’s left winger closely and Chelsea’s right centre midfielder matches with Tottenham’s left centre midfielder. So when left stopper goes forward, he can’t find any passing option. So the space that centre forward gave him didn’t work for Tottenham at all. And also because now centre forward closes to him quickly from his back, he can’t turn his back too (or centre forward can take the ball from him comfortably). And now the only thing that left stopper can do is passing the ball forward knowing that his teammates are not able to take the ball. So Chelsea could take the ball from Tottenham with high pressing and they could do that quickly. Because centre forward, with his positioning and body shape, directed left stopper to wing. Left stopper didn’t have another choice but going to wing. And then when left stopper went to wing, he was stuck in wing.