- 7 hours ago
Chelsea beat Tottenham 1-0 this weekend to move level on points with their London rivals and back into contention for Champions League qualification. But after another impressive performance against top opposition, the question yet again is; why aren’t they challenging for the Premier League title? Adam Clery examines what an incredible job Enzo Maresca did in this game, as well as where they’re going wrong, to show why they’re maybe as close as they’ve ever been.
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00:00Right, hello. So just every single summer, right, since I have started doing things of this nature,
00:05I have sat there at some point and gone, you know, really could be Chelsea's year for a title challenge
00:12this.
00:12But then every single time we get to the end of the season and for one reason or another, it
00:17has not been.
00:18But watching this team absolutely dismantle Tottenham this weekend, which is not something you often say about a 1-0,
00:26I think they might be closer than ever to being a real contender.
00:31But at the same time, if you watch the Sunderland game, you also see exactly why they're not.
00:36So hello, yes, welcome to the Adam Cleary Football Channel.
00:40I am Adam Cleary, obviously, and this is why Chelsea frustrate the life out of me.
00:48Alright, so first, just to unpack that dismantling claim, just by it only being a 1-0,
00:54Chelsea were better than Tottenham by a mile in this game.
00:59They had prepared for their opponents perfectly.
01:03We just did a video on Tottenham last week about how Benton Kerr and Paulina make them really solid, yes,
01:09but are not proactive enough on the ball.
01:12So that when they are at home, when the impetus is on them to make things happen,
01:16the pair of them make the team look devoid of ideas.
01:19This is the exact heat map we used in that video from when they played Everton.
01:23Of course, they had quite a lot of the ball, and you'll see just nothing through the middle of the
01:27pitch
01:27from those two players.
01:29And if we swap this for the Chelsea game, you will see exactly the same problem.
01:35Like, there is one attempt at a raker here, which obviously does not come off.
01:39But other than that, it is sideways, it is backwards, it is unconnected.
01:43It is a massive problem for them.
01:45Like, go on, genuinely, have a look.
01:46Really, really squint at this.
01:49Press your face up against the screen of your phone or computer or television or whatever.
01:54Does any of this look incisive to you?
01:57It does not.
01:58And so this season, in certain games, Spurs can really struggle to make things
02:02because these two can't pass through a block and they can't play through a press.
02:07So Chelsea decided to turn up with both of those things.
02:11First off, their entire pressing idea was this exact situation, and this is literally 23 seconds into the game.
02:20The man-to-man when Tottenham have the ball at the back, but leaving Kevin Danzo as an option deliberately.
02:26Like, Vicario can't go to Van der Ven here.
02:29He can't go to the fullbacks.
02:30He can't find any of the midfielders.
02:33His only short pass, his only way to retain the ball is Kevin Danzo,
02:37which is incredibly rude.
02:40Obviously, it must be a very weird feeling to be a Premier League-caliber, international-level professional footballer
02:47and know that opposition managers are out there going,
02:49lol, yeah, just let him have the ball.
02:52But that is because of out of every player in white, you see on your screen here,
02:57Enzo Mareska perceives him to be the weakest on the ball.
03:00You are the weakest link.
03:02Goodbye.
03:04And if you watch the game, you will have seen that, yeah, he wasn't wrong.
03:10Like, this is his personal pass map from this game, and that is exactly what it shows.
03:14There's a couple of nice, easy ones out to the fullback when Chelsea did sit off.
03:17There are a few with a little bit of incision as the game wore on,
03:21but by and large, they're either sideways, back to the goalkeeper, otherwise bad,
03:26or the red ones mostly show him getting panicked when he is put under pressure,
03:31launching it long, and Chelsea getting the ball back, which is the whole idea.
03:35Like, this is specifically what they were looking for him to do.
03:38Like, this is the 20th minute, player starts.
03:40Pedro and Neto jump to Van de Ven and Vicario, respectively,
03:43but again, they leave Danzo free.
03:46And because Chelsea have gone man-to-man with the rest of their press,
03:49there is nothing easy on in front of him, so again, he goes long.
03:53Or he tries to, anyway, Chelsea turn it over, and after a little bit of fannying on,
03:58manage to work a shot.
03:59And they just rinsed and repeated this process for the entire match,
04:02like, really early in the second half.
04:04Danzo ends up getting booked because of this exact thing.
04:07Like, again, pressure on these two, no pressure on Danzo,
04:11the ball goes out to him, then that's when Chelsea rush him.
04:14His ball forward is bad, he tries to make amends,
04:16and he ends up stopping a certain attempt on goal, trying to fix it.
04:20It was so bad, in fact, that Thomas Frank ends up hooking him after about an hour,
04:25which is obviously very unusual for a centre-back.
04:28But weirdly, I don't see this as a massive criticism of Kevin Danzo,
04:33because it's clear that Chelsea have set up deliberately to put him in these situations.
04:38It's kind of up to your teammates from there to stop falling for that,
04:42to stop taking the bait, to stop making your life so hard,
04:45to take some responsibility themselves and go,
04:47yeah, all right, I might have to take it under a bit of pressure,
04:50or I might have to do something.
04:51And none of them did that.
04:53They hung him out to dry.
04:55Like, honestly, if you did not watch this game,
04:56there were so many examples of this exact thing.
04:59Like, I found myself shouting at the television,
05:02stop giving him the ball.
05:04And just every single time, they did,
05:06and they put him in trouble, and this happened.
05:08I mean, obviously, they did stop giving him the ball when they substituted him,
05:12but by that point, it was too late.
05:14The inability to play out with Danzo,
05:16the inability to get through a press with Benton Kerr and Paulina,
05:19all meant that Chelsea swarmed Tottenham in their own third in this game.
05:24And this is an absolutely unreal graph from Mark Statt,
05:27who is an essential Twitter follow.
05:29If, like me, you are a bad, bad nerd, right?
05:32And it shows that Chelsea, away from home,
05:35took the ball off Spurs 41 times in what you'd class as a danger zone.
05:42And I'm just going to try and overlay it over our pitch here,
05:44which may look terrible, but regardless,
05:46that is taking the ball off the opposition
05:49in a good, promising position at their place of business
05:53once every, like, two and a bit minutes.
05:57That is nuts, right?
05:59And Chelsea generated five chances purely as a result of doing this.
06:04Which, for context, Tottenham generated three chances full stop.
06:09That's the end of that sentence.
06:11And this, of course, is obviously where the goal ends up coming from.
06:14Benton Kerr fails to play it forward in the middle of the pitch,
06:17which we've discussed,
06:18and Chelsea break up really quickly and effectively.
06:22Good.
06:23But the thing is, this actually comes to nothing,
06:25and Tottenham get the ball back,
06:27but somehow, in the next five seconds,
06:31Chelsea nibble at them three times,
06:34nearly win it back twice for Caicedo,
06:36finally pinches it off the last man,
06:39they get in and score.
06:41Spence loses it once,
06:42he loses it twice,
06:43and just as Neto looks like he's let Tottenham get away with it,
06:47Caicedo hounds Simmons and van der Venne,
06:50and gets in on goal.
06:52And I cannot think of a goal I would be more frustrated to watch my team concede,
06:57because you get so many different glaring warnings to not mess about here,
07:03clear the ball,
07:04and just reset yourself,
07:05and yet so many players,
07:07so many good players,
07:08are way too casual with it,
07:10and they are deservedly punished.
07:12But what's really, really mad about this goal from a Tottenham perspective, right,
07:17is that this is Moises Caicedo.
07:19He is currently the league's leading winner of possession in the final third.
07:24Like, he's not good at it, or doing well,
07:27he is the top of that stat, number one.
07:30Just as he is with ball interceptions literally anywhere on the pitch.
07:35Nobody in the Premier League is doing those two things better than this one man.
07:41And he was in the middle of a game where he was going to personally
07:44go and get the ball back for his team 14 separate times.
07:49Like, that is an absolutely crazy statistic, right?
07:53And to make it even worse,
07:54Chelsea are currently, maybe,
07:56the best team in the Premier League
07:59for turning these turnovers into chances.
08:02You look at the league numbers here,
08:03and only Leeds have turned a higher percentage of their high turnovers
08:07into a shot,
08:09and Leeds haven't actually scored from one.
08:12But Chelsea have.
08:13They've scored twice from these now.
08:15So there's a very strong argument, I would say,
08:17that these are the last team,
08:20and this is the last player you would fuck around with it in front of.
08:25And yet, Tottenham do.
08:27Three or four times in a few seconds.
08:30It is not often that you get exactly what you deserve in life,
08:34but this,
08:35right here,
08:36is,
08:37uh,
08:37that.
08:37And Chelsea just kept at them with this.
08:40Like,
08:40this is in the second half.
08:42Ben and Kerr get trapped playing out,
08:43and they turn it over.
08:45Ten minutes later,
08:46Pedro manages to take it off Danzo in his own box.
08:49There is even a moment,
08:49in this game,
08:50when Sky was so busy showing you a replay
08:54of Chelsea taking the ball off Tottenham and nearly scoring,
08:57that they miss showing you
08:59Chelsea taking the ball off Tottenham and nearly scoring.
09:02Thankfully,
09:03though,
09:03uh,
09:03replays exist.
09:04The ball goes out to Porro.
09:06Kai Sadim is on him,
09:08like a supermarket Halloween costume.
09:11Takes it,
09:11turns it into a chance,
09:13and Neto should maybe score that.
09:15And,
09:15after this weekend,
09:16Tottenham are now the team in the Premier League
09:19who have been on the receiving end
09:20of the most tackles in their own final third.
09:24Like,
09:24it is an obvious soft spot for them currently,
09:27and Chelsea turned up completely in the mood,
09:29got at them in all the right areas,
09:31and should have won this game by three or four.
09:34But just,
09:35let's hang on a second,
09:36right?
09:36This is obviously,
09:37like,
09:37in transition in the game.
09:38It's sort of more on the ball.
09:40What about off the ball?
09:41Did Mareska win that battle of brains as well?
09:46Uh,
09:46yes.
09:47Yes,
09:47he did,
09:48quite emphatically.
09:48And you also saw that
09:50in the first couple of seconds,
09:51and then lots afterwards.
09:53The decision to start
09:54Rhys James
09:55in the middle of the field,
09:56like,
09:56this is the Chelsea starting 11,
09:58but this
09:58is specifically
09:59Rhys James' heat map,
10:01right?
10:01Take a second to absorb all of that.
10:04Uh,
10:04was really clever.
10:05He was absolutely everywhere.
10:07He was brilliant on the ball.
10:08He did not get bullied at all.
10:10He is a brilliant
10:11passer of the ball.
10:13Like,
10:13I'll show you his
10:14pass map,
10:15and just remember
10:16how limp and nothing
10:17the Paulina Bentonker one
10:19was,
10:19right?
10:19This was Rhys James.
10:21Loads of these
10:22are forwards.
10:23Loads of them
10:23are into the opposition half.
10:24Loads of them
10:25are into the final third.
10:26He's even
10:27got these cross-field
10:28rakers in his locker
10:29to take the pressure off,
10:31to play
10:31into the space.
10:33Like,
10:33this one here
10:33is just a
10:34mouth-watering example
10:35of just how important
10:36it can be
10:37to find a runner
10:38when the pressure is on
10:40or teams are
10:40congesting areas
10:42in front of you.
10:42And obviously,
10:43Rhys James is brilliant
10:44at this.
10:45Nobody on the Tottenham side
10:46had this in their locker,
10:47but that
10:48was not
10:49his most
10:50important job.
10:51When Tottenham
10:52did get the squeeze
10:53on Chelsea
10:54in the final third,
10:55Robert Sanchez
10:55had no issue
10:56with going long.
10:58And occasionally,
10:59as he does in this example,
11:00he would find somebody
11:01with a brilliant pass
11:02out from the back.
11:03But of course,
11:04the longer the pass,
11:05the less accurate
11:06it's going to be.
11:07So on the occasions
11:07when this did not
11:09find a Chelsea head,
11:10Rhys James was responsible
11:11for moving the whole
11:13midfield unit up
11:14to scrap the second balls.
11:16And yes,
11:17that is a term
11:17we're hearing an awful lot
11:18this season.
11:19Second balls are
11:20as in vogue
11:21as long throws.
11:22But doing this
11:23kept Tottenham
11:24almost entirely penned
11:26in their own third,
11:27stopped them playing out.
11:28And as we know,
11:29that was the best part
11:30of the pitch
11:31to take the ball off them.
11:33So it's all
11:33part of one
11:34very well put together plan.
11:36Now these
11:37are all of
11:38Rhys James'
11:39defensive contributions
11:40in this match.
11:41And you will note
11:42the vast majority
11:43of them take place
11:44in Tottenham's
11:46own half.
11:47His being in the midfield
11:49rather than the defence
11:50is such like
11:51a mentality switch
11:53for Chelsea.
11:54Like it forces them
11:55up the pitch.
11:56It makes them defend
11:57so much more aggressively
11:58and so much more
11:59proactively.
12:00There's just so many
12:01examples of him
12:01dominating
12:03some area
12:04of the game.
12:05Either with the ball
12:06or without the ball.
12:07And honestly,
12:09I love
12:10Rhys James.
12:11Like if he was
12:11capable of playing
12:1250 games a season,
12:14I honestly
12:15think we would
12:16talk about him
12:16as one of the
12:17best players
12:18in the world.
12:19He's got
12:19everything.
12:20So then,
12:21this is
12:22brilliant,
12:23isn't it?
12:23Whichever one of the
12:24graphs you want to
12:24look at again,
12:25like this
12:25is really good.
12:27To be a team
12:28capable of
12:29turning up
12:29in a game like this.
12:31It's a derby,
12:31you're away,
12:32you're playing a team
12:33who could potentially
12:34go second
12:35and you've gotten
12:36every single part
12:37of your game plan
12:38absolutely spot on
12:39and you have executed
12:40it from front to back
12:42perfectly,
12:43right?
12:43That's brilliant.
12:44So why then
12:45are you getting
12:46beat at home
12:47off Sunderland?
12:48Why did they give away
12:49a terrible equaliser
12:51against Brentford?
12:52Why are the results
12:53constantly hampered
12:55by so many
12:56stupid red cards?
12:58And this,
12:59admittedly,
12:59is more just my opinion
13:01than anything else,
13:01right?
13:01But I do think
13:02that Chelsea
13:03have a manager
13:04who is capable
13:05of winning the
13:06Premier League
13:06and I think
13:07they've nearly
13:08got a squad of
13:09players that is
13:10capable of winning
13:11the Premier League
13:11but what's stopping
13:12them is I just
13:14don't think
13:15the culture here
13:16is quite right.
13:18Like,
13:18it feels to me
13:19like this squad
13:20is just lacking
13:21one or two
13:24really natural
13:25leaders.
13:26Chelsea have,
13:27by an entire
13:28year,
13:28the youngest
13:29average age
13:30in the league
13:30this season
13:31and I think
13:31in certain
13:32games
13:32when things
13:33aren't quite
13:34going right
13:35for them
13:35that does
13:36show.
13:36The winning
13:37goal against
13:37Sunderland
13:38really shocked
13:38me because
13:39when that
13:39layoff comes
13:40it's a 3v3
13:41in the box
13:42after Chelsea
13:44had a 2v1
13:45on the halfway
13:46line.
13:46But if you
13:46wind that
13:47all the way
13:48back to when
13:48the ball
13:49is launched
13:49up the pitch,
13:50right?
13:51Chelsea have
13:52three players
13:53who are closer
13:54to their own
13:54goal than
13:55either of the
13:56two Sunderland
13:57players who
13:57managed to get
13:58up.
13:59Inexperience
13:59tells you
13:59that this
14:002v1 is
14:01just something
14:01the defenders
14:01will manage
14:02and you can
14:02wait back
14:03here so you
14:04can focus on
14:04the fun stuff
14:05like scoring
14:06and being the
14:06hero.
14:07But I think
14:07what experience
14:08would tell you
14:09is that like
14:09shit, yeah,
14:10obviously it's
14:11bad if we
14:11draw this
14:121-1,
14:12but I better
14:13bust my
14:14arse to get
14:14back to make
14:15sure we don't
14:15go and lose
14:16the thing.
14:17Like, make
14:17the run,
14:18track the man,
14:19haul somebody
14:19down, take
14:20the yellow
14:21card, like
14:21actually think
14:22about the
14:23situation.
14:23An experience
14:24would also
14:25tell you not
14:26to get two
14:26really stupid
14:27yellow cards
14:28when you're
14:29just back from
14:29injury or not
14:31to get a red
14:32in the very
14:32last minute of
14:33a game you
14:34have won at
14:34a canter.
14:35So if
14:36somebody somewhere
14:37within this
14:38group can step
14:39into that role,
14:40can take
14:40responsibility for
14:42the leadership of
14:43the group on
14:44the pitch, I
14:44think this
14:45immediately becomes
14:47a much more
14:48consistent football
14:49team, which is
14:50obviously very
14:51important because
14:52right now
14:53consistency is
14:54the one thing
14:55stopping them
14:56actually challenging
14:57for a title, I
14:58think.
14:59But as ever, that
14:59is just what I
15:00think and I'd
15:01be much more
15:01interested in your
15:02opinion, dear
15:03Chelsea fan, because
15:04you watch these
15:05buggers a lot more
15:06than I do, so
15:06please let me know
15:07in the comments
15:07down below, what
15:08do you think is
15:09holding them back?
15:09Can they still do
15:10it this season of
15:11things, just
15:11clicking into place
15:12or thoughts or
15:13feelings, poetry
15:14verse, the true
15:15songs of your
15:16heart, I like to
15:17read them all, please
15:17do get them down
15:18below.
15:19In the meantime, if
15:19you have not
15:20already subscribed to
15:21us here at
15:21ACFC, then
15:22please consider
15:23doing that because
15:24more than anything
15:26in the whole world
15:26for Christmas, and
15:28you're allowed to
15:29start talking about
15:29Christmas now, I
15:31would like to hit
15:31the magic 200,000
15:32subscribers and
15:33you could be a
15:34part of that, which
15:35would make me very
15:36happy.
15:36You can also get me
15:37across all the
15:37social medias, at
15:38Adam Cleary, C-L-E-R-Y,
15:39if you would like to
15:40tell us what videos
15:42to make.
15:43We now do members
15:44stuff with members
15:46and their things, so
15:47the link for that
15:48is down below.
15:49More information if
15:50you want it, just
15:51where you'll find it,
15:51and that's it.
15:53That's it.
15:53This should have
15:54been 3-0 or 4-0,
15:55which would have
15:55been a statement
15:56win, but it's not,
15:57so I'm giving you
15:59the statement instead.
16:00You're welcome.
16:01Goodbye.
16:02Goodbye.
16:02Goodbye.
16:02Goodbye.
16:02Goodbye.
16:02Goodbye.
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