Chelsea fell to defeat at Juventus after a fine defensive display from the Italians. Juve took the lead just 11 seconds into the second half through Federico Chiesa – a goal Thomas Tuchel later desrcibed as “cheap”... 🧐🧵
Bentancur dropped alongside Locatelli to form a double pivot. Bernardeschi then dropped into midfield, while Cuadrado moved into a narrow position. Chiesa then moved across the front line, attacking centrally to threaten the space in behind Chelsea’s back three 🧐🧵
Juventus initially defended with a 4-1-4-1. The hosts’ two number eights – Rabiot and Bentancur – pushed forwards to press Chelsea’s double pivot, with wingers Chiesa and Cuadrado pressing from out to in 🧐🧵
Chiesa remained as Juve’s highest threat throughout the game, and they defended incredibly deep but remained ready to counter-attack. In the moments where Cuadrado did break forward, they looked to release him or Chiesa following Bernardeschi dropping into a 10 position 🧐🧵
Cuadrado dropped so deep that Juventus ended up in a 5-4-1 with a diamond midfield, which stopped Chelsea finding their way into the inside channels, and forced play out wide. Any resulting crosses were dealt with well by Juventus’ back line 🧐🧵
Chelsea were set up by their manager Thomas Tuchel in a 3-4-2-1 formation when in possession, with the width held by wing-backs Alonso and Azpilicueta. Lukaku was supported by penetrative runs from number 10s, Ziyech and Havertz through the inside channels 🧐🧵
Chelsea defended with a 5-2-3 mid-block where Ziyech moved into the centre as a defensive number 10 behind Lukaku and Havertz to cover Juventus’ single pivot, Locatelli. Jorginho and Kovacic, as Chelsea’s double pivot, held their positions to occupy Juventus’ two number 8s 🧐🧵
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Spain used a 4-3-3 structure and built play patiently from the back, despite Germany pressing aggressively from their 4-2-3-1. They moved the ball around the back line to isolate Thomas Müller, before a centre-back stepped out with the ball into midfield... 🧐🧵
Olmo continued to move inside and Asensio dropped deep, in the process pulling Süle out of his position in Germany’s back line. This helped Spain to build out from the back and get around Germany’s increasingly effective high press... 🧐🧵
Traditionally, full-backs are the widest players in a back four, and as a result they attack and defend mostly in the wide areas. However, full-backs who move inside into central spaces are known as ‘inverted full-backs’. This movement adds an extra presence centrally... ↩️🧐
Although Pep Guardiola is the coach most associated with the inverted full-back, Johan Cruyff used them with Barcelona many years before. Then, he often converted the 4-3-3 into a 3-4-3 diamond, with one full-back inverting into central midfield... ↩️🧐
Manchester United were set up in a 4-2-3-1 shape, but Fred pushed forward from the double pivot to become a number 8 and give them a stronger attacking presence in central midfield. Bruno Fernandes then adapted his positioning, moving into the left inside channel... 🧐🧵
The hosts eventually pushed both full-backs higher, primarily working around the outside of Tottenham’s wing-backs. United’s wingers then came inside, with the freedom to rotate with Fred and Fernandes, as long as both inside channels were always occupied... 🧐🧵
Barcelona were set up in a 4-3-3, against a Madrid 4-4-2 defensive block. Torres moved inside to support centre-forward Aubameyang. De Jong and Pedri widened to support through the inside channels, with Busquets left as the single pivot ahead of the two centre-backs... 🧐🧵
Busquets dropped into defence to draw one of Madrid’s central midfielders up, and Pedri drifted wider to drag the other out. This often left De Jong as the free man to receive in the inside channel when Barcelona’s back line could access him... 🧐🧵
4-4-2 is made up of three distinct lines. The back four including two centre-backs and two full-backs. Ahead of them, a midfield four features two players in the middle and one on each side. Then the front two in attack who provide both height and goalscoring threat... 4️⃣4️⃣2️⃣🧵
In the 1950s, Viktor Maslov developed another variation of the 4-2-4, in which the two wingers dropped back alongside the two central midfielders. So originated the 4-4-2, which worked to overload opposition midfields with traditionally fewer numbers... 4️⃣4️⃣2️⃣🧵