Chelsea FC vs. Wolves: What Worked and What Didn't

Andre Villas-Boas decided to change his lineup against a very shaky Wolverhampton team. Mick McCarthy also decided to bring in some changes by adding new signings, possibly interfering with the team's chemistry.

The first half was dominated by Chelsea with brilliant passing moves but few goal-scoring opportunities, which kept the sides goalless going into half-time.

The second-half opened up and presented multiple opportunities to go ahead, with Chelsea the first to score off of a corner that Ramires was able to control and poke into the top corner. Wolves countered quickly after taking advantage of some sloppy defending from Bosingwa. With two minutes left to play, Lampard was able to time his run and connect perfectly to Cole's cross and seal a much needed win.

The first thing I realized as I turned on the TV to watch the game was that there was no Drogba or Sturridge and that Chelsea was playing with four central midfielders. Fox Sports displayed the formation as a 4-4-1-1 with Ramires on the right, Lampard on the left in midfield and Mata in the central role behind Torres.

They quickly covered that Drogba and Sturridge had both failed to pass fitness tests before the game due to minor injuries that they picked up in training. AVB was forced to play with this lineup due to Anelka's transfer and the lack of experience from the members on the bench.

As the game panned out, the formation transformed into a 4-1-2-1-2. Mata and Torres tended to stay up front, though Torres was doing a great job tracking back, and the play was brought out of the midfield and generally used the pace of Ramires to attack on the right.

Though Chelsea didn't necessarily dominate the game in goal scoring, they did offer a new look to the side, and I absolutely loved it. It was obvious that they weren't 100 percent confident with their new lineup but as the game got going (especially deep into the second half), Chelsea began to really open up.

What Worked

•  Torres and Mata up front: It was pure instinct for the Spaniards to link up as much as they did, and what I enjoyed most was not seeing Sturridge being selfish and always going for goal. Yes, Torres didn't score, but he did... 

• Torres' role: We all know he isn't built like Drogba and can't rely on only his strength to hold up play, so he actually tracked back to get involved and when the ball wasn't being fed to him through his runs across the defensive line, he didn't just prance off in disappointment. Instead, he would go to the player with the ball and offer them an option in attack. Not to mention his brilliant pass to Cole to set up the crucial goal.

• Ramires: We always knew he had pace like Yaya Toure, but we didn't know how much he could add to advancing the ball. Though his crossing could use some work, he may be giving Sturridge a fight by providing a new tactical option for AVB. 

• The full-backs: As we all know, Cole and Bosingwa are always willing to go forward when given the opportunity, and against the Wolves they did so. This pushed almost all of the Chelsea players into the opposition's half and allowed for some brilliant link-up play and crosses to help bolster the attack. 

• Mata playing more centrally: I did see Mata tend to stick to the left side for a majority of the time, but he showed how much he adds to Chelsea and especially to Torres. Mata could see the runs and found them.

• Lampard and Meireles playing together: When Lampard and Meireles were paired together in past matches they tended to counteract each other and just get in each other's way, which slowed the attack and brought down each player's performance. In this new system, Lampard played in a higher position, with Romeu and Meireles covering, and provided more forward passing and attacking ability. As the game opened up, Meireles' performance grew, and you could tell the team was beginning to adapt to the new lineup as he went forward more often.

What Didn't Work

• Bosingwa's defending: As usual, Bosingwa was the culprit for the lack of defending that led to the equalizing goal. His display going forward was surprisingly not as effective as his defending and interception, but, as always, in the crucial moment when any kind of clearance is needed he failed to deliver and allowed Fletcher to get the best of him and set up the goal.

• David Luiz: A confusing display from the Brazilian who was unable to provide any kind of attacking runs (like we are used to) or make good defensive tackles. You could tell he was being cautious not to give away any silly fouls or possession.

• Torres' complexion in front of goal: Torres again failed to find the net, but that's not to say that he didn't have a brilliant performance. He is beginning to show signs of his past form but not in the goal-scoring way. In three chances where he had the option to take a shot or try to get around the defenders, he failed to deliver (which is what a striker is supposed to do). On each occasion he seemed to try to either get a penalty or he just gave up, which showed his obvious lack of confidence.

What did you think of the game? How about the new formation and lineup? 

Please leave your comments below.