Chelsea 0 Man United 0 - Review, Tactical Observations, and Moments Missed
A stalemate at the Bridge, and things to improve for Chelsea
Thomas Tuchel described the 0-0 draw with Manchester United yesterday as ‘a high quality game between two very strong teams.’
Whilst I do agree there was ‘some’ quality in the match, I don’t really think it can be described as ‘high quality.’
More accurately, it was a game between two good sides with a lot to lose as they fight at the top of the Premier League, with neither side wanting to take too many risks going forward with the emphasis being more on keeping it tight at the back.
I get this, I really do. But this was a big missed opportunity for us, we could have gone back above West Ham into the Champions League spot, and put ourselves just three points behind Leicester City and Manchester United in 3rd and 2nd spot in the league.
Once again it was the last 25 yards for Chelsea, lack of movement and pace from the attackers, and a lack of imagination and risk taking from the midfielders.
We lack creativity AND finesse - How many times have we said that over the last couple of seasons?
But then one of our best creators was sat on the bench all game, whilst another was having a poor game and managed to stay on for 77 minutes.
Kai Havertz need to be utilised, and utilised now. And I fear that Hakim Ziyech might not be suited to the Premier League despite his clear talent.
He gets nudged of the ball too often, and lacks that bit of intensity needed to play in this league. He is afford no time on the ball, something he isn’t used to in the Dutch league.
Can he adapt? Of course, but I do have my concerns.
I understand Chelsea playing a reserved match and avoiding the loss. A clean sheet was good, and we could have easily grabbed a winner. But I think with all the attacking talent that arrived in the summer, we really need to start utilising it now, it can be the difference between making the Champions League spot and attracting more talent such as Erling Haaland this summer, or playing Europa League next season.
I want to see improvements on the creativity and attacking side of our game, now we have stabilised the defence and the shape. Two sitting defenders leaves us without an extra attacker, is it really needed for all matches?
Incidents
The Callum Hudson-Odoi handball claim was obviously a big talking point and rattled Manchester United.
I mean, it was accidental, and both players handled it. So that was that and get on with it.
And this below here is exactly what I mean about being brave in possession, taking risks with a pass.
Mason Mount (obviously) making the cross field pass that he had to get perfect otherwise it could have put Chelsea in danger of a counter.
Then Callum Hudson-Odoi driving forward with it positively, that’s what we didn’t see enough of and have not been seeing enough of in recent games.
This didn’t end up with a goal obviously, but it is the intent and directness that we need.
How about that Antonio Rudiger long ball that literally got stuck in the clouds?
It felt like an age until it finally dropped to Hudson-Odoi, which was actually a great pass and nearly produced a goal.
I counted 5 aerial seconds before it dropped!
Finally, we’ll end with an image to sum it all up…
When I saw this in live time, I actually thought Tuchel was going to tickle Solskjaer, then head up to the commentary box and throw Gary Neville’s coffee on the floor, or something like that!