Match date: 3 February 2014

Coming into the match, Manchester City had scored the most goals in the English Premier League, while Chelsea had conceded the least. Both have new managers this year who were last in Spain and have distinct ideas of how football should be played. In the post-match interview following Chelsea’s last match, Mourinho criticised West Ham for playing “19th century football” as West Ham sat in a low defensive block, making it incredibly hard for Chelsea to break them down and earning a 0-0 draw.

Interestingly enough, in Mourinho’s pre-match interview, he was asked whether his team selection indicated he was out to park the bus and his response was clever, saying that team selection does not matter. Essentially, he said that it’s simply how he instructs his players; he could name 11 attackers, but have them all defend and likewise with defensive players. With that said, Mourinho opted for a 4-2-3-1, with Luiz and Matic as very deep holding midfielders.

Pellegrini, for Manchester City, continued with a 4-4-2, despite being without Sergio Aguero and Fernandinho and playing against another top side. Negredo and Dzeko started up top and Martin Demichelis started as the holding midfielder.

City’s 4-4-2 v Chelsea’s 4-2-3-1

Early on it was evident as to how the two sides were going to match up throughout the match. City play a 4-4-2, but with David Silva lining up on the left, it generally means that they play very fluidly. The Spaniard likes to come inside and play centrally and this means that one of City’s strikers usually drifts into a wide left area when City are in possession of the ball, but the responsibility to City’s width on that side is left to the likes of Kolarov and Clichy. On the right hand side, Navas and Zabaleta both provide width and, with Navas a more traditional winger, it allows some balance to the side both when in possession of the ball and when defending.

City were narrow on the left throughout the match, because of Silva’s tendency to drift inside, and so tactically, it is not surprising that Chelsea were able to score the match’s only goal from Ivanovic, Chelsea’s right back. With Silva consistently coming inside, it opened up a good amount of space for Ivanovic to run into, especially with Kolarov being occupied by Ramires, who was playing on the right side of the three behind Samuel Eto’o. Below, you can see a picture of the amount of space that Ivanovic was given by City. This screen capture is a few minutes prior to the goal being scored, but you can see how narrow Silva is (he is close to referee Mike Dean in this shot) and you can see that Dzeko, though closest to Ivanovic, is focused on the ball rather than working to get goal side of the Chelsea right back.

Jose Mourinho and Chelsea looked to play counter-attacking football against Manchester City and did so very well. With Matic and Luiz as holding midfielders, it allowed Hazard, Willian, and Ramires to get forward quickly, without getting caught out in transition, to support Eto’o. The trio were narrow throughout as it was the pace of their attacks into a given space, rather than the need to unbalance City’s defensive shape by moving the ball from side to side, that caused City the most problems.

City’s Build Up and Wide Play

Some of the best football in the match was played early on by City as they moved the ball quickly through midfield and into the attacking third. Perhaps their best move was in the 10th minute of play with the ball starting with Zabaleta. With 12 passes, City quickly played through the lines from the right to the left where Kolarov finished the move off with a great cross just inside the six yard box that Yaya Toure just missed putting a foot on.

With Chelsea playing so narrow from back to front, City relied on their wide play throughout the match and were able to get bodies into the Chelsea box with relative ease. Of their nine completed crosses, out of an attempted 39, seven created chances. That, however, does not include near chances like the previously mentioned, or opportunities that developed in the wide areas, only for a City player to bring the ball into the box and then pass to a teammate.

Chelsea’s Counter Attacks

Chelsea were quick and incisive. Mourinho issued his plan for the match and his side showed they were capable. Though the goal may have been from an unexpected scorer, it came about exactly how Mourinho would have wanted. Based on the opening attacks from Chelsea, if they were going to score the bets would have been on the attacking quartet of Eto’o, Ramies, Hazard, and Willian, with Luiz and Matic and Chelsea’s full backs not even looking to support Chelsea’s players when they were on the counter because the knowledge that City can be just as devastating on counters as well. The pace at which Chelsea were able to counter left City in exposed situations with only Kompany and Nastasic defending with DeMichelis inconsistent in getting back to support when Chelsea broke and the fluidity caused miscommunication between City defenders as witnessed when Kompany and Nastasic went sliding in for the same ball early on in the match.

While the quartet of Eto’o, Willian, Ramires, and Hazard all did their part in unsettling City’s back four, Hazard was undoubtedly the most threatening player throughout the match. His pace and dribbling ability allowed him to quickly bypass the likes of Demichelis and get through City’s midfield with ease.

Eto’o was usually covered by one of Kompany or Nastasic and so Hazard was usually Chelsea’s best vertical outlet, as he would drift wide into space, dragging Zabaleta with him, to receive the ball and then attack the Chelsea defense with the ball at his feet. His dribbling drew defenders to him, sometimes three City players would surround him, and then quickly accelerate away from them and play a ball into the space that one of the defenders had left. He was easily the best player of the match and epitomised Mourinho’s plan on the day.

Jovetic On, Mourinho’s Defensive Changes

Early on in the second half, Pellegrini made his only change, bringing on Stevan Jovetic for Alvaro Negredo. The young Montenegrin has struggled with injuries since his move in the summer from Fiorentina, but has recently come back into the side and his introduction allowed City to change their shape slightly. Jovetic was deployed more on the left, which allowed Silva to play in a number 10 role, making City more of a 4-2-3-1, as he had been doing, but gave City a wider option and kept Ivanovic further back, much like Navas had done to Azpilicueta. As Silva was tracked well by Matic and Luiz throughout the match, it allowed Jovetic to find himself in space a few times when he cut inside, which he generally did, forcing Petr Cech into a good save towards the end of the match.

Mourinho’s changes were very much in tune with his plan. Chelsea looked close to getting a second goal a few times on counter attacks, and hit the woodwork three times, and so Mourinho seemed content in allowing his side to continue controlling the space and countering until there were about 10 minutes left in the match. His first substitution was Oscar on for Eto’o, then Mikel for Willian, and finally Ba for Hazard. This meant that Chelsea ended the match, as they did against Manchester United ,with three holding midfielders in front of their back four.

Conclusion

It was not too long ago that Mourinho said that a 1-0 victory in football was the easiest thing to do and he proved it with this performance. Chelsea were given a strict plan, defend in numbers and allow Hazard, Ramires, and Willian to counter attack with pace and fluidity in support of Eto’o. Though their goal came from Ivanovic, the idea was the same and Ivanovic was smart to exploit the space that he was given due to City’s narrow play on the left side of their attack.

With this win, Chelsea remain in third, but are level with City on points, with both just two points behind Arsenal as the top three start to pull away from the likes of Liverpool, Tottenham, and Everton.