Thinking Tactics

Although Dalot didn't go into too much detail, he alluded to United's primary performance problem, which was defending the space behind the left-back during Roma's counter-attacks. I find it specifically interesting that Dalot mentioned: "we knew that we're going to be too open." I get that Carrick wanted to be proactive on the ball, but the downsides of Dalot's high position outweighed the upsides. It just wasn't worth the trade-off because Roma had such an easy outlet during counter-attacks, which they maximised for the opening two goals.

The third @Thinkingtactics YouTube video is out now on the Manchester United vs Roma match. In the presentation, I analyse three key topics: 1. Rest defence fix. 2. Front line spacing. 3. Constant beyond runs. Link attached below.

Manchester United vs Roma presentation will be shared on the @Thinkingtactics YouTube channel tomorrow morning.

One of the biggest performance problems that Alonso needs to work on is Chelsea's short build-up patterns. Currently, the patterns are too predictable with teams well set up to generate turnovers. Manchester United achieved this in the first half and almost scored. Spurs didn't create as many threatening counter-attacks from the turnovers, but it meant that Chelsea lost possession often and couldn't control the match with the ball.

It was apparent in the Manchester United game that Chelsea's player dynamics during settled possession phases was much better. In the video, I compare the passing network graphs of the United match to Liverpool and Spurs, but I think I should've also included the Everton one because it was the last game where Chelsea enjoyed more possession than the opposition. And when you take these two images, it's clear that Chelsea had better right-side dynamics against United. Acheampong is higher and the side connection is much stronger with the three players combining with each other more often. I expect Alonso to persist with this in-possession approach because the right-side connections are much-needed as Pedro is out injured. It facilitates more dynamism and creativity to compensate for Pedro's absence. Images courtesy of @markrstats and I do want to appreciate the consistency of his work over the past years. I used his data visualisations in the last two YouTube videos on @Thinkingtactics and will continue to use them moving forward.

My second YouTube video is out now where I analyse three main takeaways from the Chelsea-Manchester United game: - Alonso's aggressive in-possession system and how it creates interesting player dynamics. - Chelsea's collective and individual defensive performance problems in the first half. - A potential indicator of Alonso taking more risk with his tactical strategy moving forward. Link attached below.