Chelsea managed a statement victory in the Champions League tonight against Barcelona, beating Hansi Flick’s side 3-0 at Stamford Bridge.
Enzo Maresca’s side set out from the off with the intensity to suffocate Barcelona, looking to be aggressive in the press and force Barcelona long.
This resulted in Chelsea only conceding five shots in the game with Barcelona generating 0.79 Expected Goals.
Chelsea’s clean sheet against Barcelona became the first time the Spanish giants have failed to score in a Champions League game in two years, a streak spanning over 24 games.
In this article, we’ll cover
Enzo Maresca’s tactical choices
Maresca made some big choices coming into the game. The first one jumping off the page was the inclusion of Pedro Neto as a centre-forward.
Coming into the game, Chelsea knew an area they would be able to exploit is the Barcelona high line. By starting Neto through the middle, the Blues had the best possible chance of exploiting these moments.
Enzo Fernandez would often drop from high to low, looking to release a first time pass in behind the high line. This caused Barcelona some big issues in the first half.
Another key decision was the configuration of the right side of the pitch. Maresca used Estevao on the right-wing, Malo Gusto at right-back and Reece James in midfield.
All of these decisions had a clear impact on how Chelsea set up out of possession, which ended up working to perfection. The Blues were able to suffocate Flick’s side and put them under pressure.
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Suffocating press
Chelsea started the game with intent to press man-for-man. With Neto starting as the striker, the Blues looked to force play down the right.
From here, Maresca’s side made a series of jumps on their right side of the pitch. Estevao jumped onto Pau Cubarsi, Gusto jumped onto Alejandro Balde and Wesley Fofana shifted over to cover Ferran Torres.
Chelsea went man for man across the pitch in this moment, with the midfield three all taking their Barcelona counterpart and tracking their runs in central areas.
The physicality, intensity and all round determination of the youthful Chelsea side shone through in this game, winning their duels, challenging for first and second balls and working for each other.
Cucurella masterclass
While Marc Cucurella wasn’t part of the right-sided jumps, his role on the opposite side of the pitch was just as important, tasked with staying with Lamine Yamal.
The Spanish full-back stuck to Yamal like glue all night, winning seven of his 15 ground duels, making four recoveries, four tackles, one interception and one block.
Cucurella spoke after the match stating: “His left foot is dominant.
“If i can invite him inside, I have my teammates there.”
And it wasn’t just the defensive aspect of the game Cucurella excelled in. The Spaniard made a lovely run in behind the Barcelona defensive line, leading to Ronald Araujo’s second yellow card, which was a pivotal moment of the game.
While Cucurella was playing as the left-sided centre-back in a 3-2 base on the ball, he was given license to make late underlapping runs in order to hurt the Barcelona high line. And on that occasion, it certainly did.
Estevao wins Yamal battle
Perhaps the biggest narrative heading into this tie, was the battle of the young wingers. And it was the Chelsea boy who came out on top in this one.
Estevao extended Chelsea’s lead to two goals after 55 minutes with a lovely piece of skill inside the box, before rifling it home at a speed of 64 mph.
Despite having less of the ball, Estevao was able to receive possession in advanced areas due to his role out of possession being almost a second centre-forward. There, he could orchestrate attacks and create chances.
The 18-year-old created three chances for his teammates, while completing two of his five attempted dribbles. And, of course, he scored the goal.
Estevao vs Yamal is a battle that is far from over. The pair look set to be in competition for the next decade as two of the most exciting and devastating attackers in world football.