Pellegrini's City and Mourinho's Chelsea: Previewing the Tactical Changes Ahead

The English Premier League is set for a tactical shake-up, with three of the top four sides changing managers.

Manchester City have employed Manuel Pellegrini, Manchester United have taken David Moyes and Chelsea have welcomed back Jose Mourinho with open arms.

This leads to an unheard-of quantity of tactical unknowns heading into the 2013-14 season—how will the sides line up, what formation will they use and which players are integral to their plans?

Here, we try to deduce—to the best of our abilities—what changes will occur at the Etihad Stadium and Stamford Bridge this summer.

Manchester City

Pellegrini is a tactical genius, and left to his own devices could try any number of different systems and formations with Manchester City.

With such a deep, multi-talented squad the options are limitless, but unfortunately for him, the shape of his team has been decided for him.

Pellegrini is head coach though, not manager, and as per The Times (subscription required), will work with what he's given:

"Pellegrini, 59, is likely to be given the title of head coach as City hone their management structure, given that Txiki Begiristain, the director of football, will drive recruitment and the move to a 4-3-3 formation."

The 4-3-3 will be in place at every age level as Begiristain attempts to bring some form of identity to the club. The ultimate goal is for every City player to be experienced in the system, and can therefore step seamlessly between squads á la Barcelona and Spain.

Begiristain's background with Barcelona doesn't necessarily mean City will opt straight for tiki-taka football, as the club house several explosive, direct players who wouldn't thrive in such a system.

Yaya Toure, Jesus Navas and Fernandinho can do it, but it won't unlock the best in them. Expect City to vary the tempo and the approach play, and know they have the muscle in midfield to force matters if necessary.

Chelsea

Mourinho's return to the Bridge also signals certain tactical change.

Rafa Benitez opted for a 4-2-3-1 formation, and while Mou will probably line up in a similar fashion, it will be far more organised, the strategy more clear-cut.

Chelsea were a strong side under Benitez, but at times it seemed a victory for the individual players rather than the actual system bringing them success.

Mourinho will devise a careful strategy that allows his players to flourish, and judging by what's available and who he's purchased, we're set for another defensively solid, counterattacking side.

The play will stream through wide forwards Eden Hazard and Andre Schurrle, and their lightning-fast pace will serve the setup extremely well, carrying the ball forward.

Juan Mata, despite rumours summarised by talkSPORT of him leaving the club, while play a fluid role in the centre, while we could even see Oscar deeper in midfield.

Question marks remain over how the central defence and holding midfield will shape up, with David Luiz and John Obi Mikel's future in the balance. The Brazilian is being lined up by Paris Saint-Germain according to the London Evening Standard, while Mikel has been linked with Turkish club Galatasaray, telling Sabah (via Metro) he expects to leave Chelsea.

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