Shrewsbury vs. Chelsea: Tactical Review of Capital One Cup Thriller

Chelsea escaped the New Meadow Stadium on Tuesday night with a tight Capital One Cup victory, squeezing out a 2-1 scoreline against Shrewsbury. Despite playing against a side in the fourth tier of English football, they were made to work hard for their win.

Let's take a tactical look at the game and see how Micky Mellon made it so difficult for the visitors to win.

Formations and XIs

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Shrewsbury lined up in a 3-5-2 formation (they must have been watching the World Cup!), with a young, inexperienced but determined defensive line. Liam Lawrence, a former Stoke City starter, captained and led the midfield.

Chelsea played their usual 4-2-3-1 but made a number of changes, fitness-forced, from the weekend. John Obi Mikel, Kurt Zouma, Petr Cech, Andreas Christensen, Andre Schurrle and Mohamed Salah all started.

Blockage in the Middle

Shrewsbury set up to counter, and in many ways the 3-5-2 formation selected was perfect for this game. It allowed Mellon to retain two strikers for maximal threat on the reverse, while also packing in five defenders and a strong central midfield presence.

As a disciplined unit, the hosts made life very, very difficult and it started with a blockade in the middle. With Salah rusty and unsure of himself, Chelsea's right struggled early, and Filipe Luis' connection with Schurrle took a while to get going.

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That left Mikel with the ball and needing to push it forward—hardly his forte—and his hopeful, misplaced passes epitomised the struggles of Chelsea early on.

Shrewsbury's Half and Half

It's rare you see this, but Shrewsbury's offensive strategy was divided exactly in half. That meant that, depending on which side the ball was on, the method of attack would starkly differ.

If the ball was on the left they'd build play, carefully and look to release wing-back Mickey Demetriou for a cross to James Collins. Collins, an aerial threat, played left-centre-forward and hit the middle or near-post often, testing Kurt Zouma.

If the ball was on the right, they'd hit a quick ball into the channel or over the top for Jean-Louis Akpa-Akpro to chase and win at the byline, testing Filipe Luis' defensive skill set.

It was an odd sight, but it was a well-crafted tactic from Mellon to get the best out of four key offensive players and to test Christensen's true ability at right-back—he's a centre-back by trade, displaced for the evening.

First Blood

Chelsea's first notable attack came in the 33rd minute, with Salah streaking from one end to the other and teeing up Schurrle for a disappointing decision. That lack of efficiency continued in Chelsea's play, but then finally, eventually, a lucky nick brought Didier Drogba the opening goal.

A forced pass into a crowded area flicked up off the Ivorian's heel and fell to Salah. While the lay-off and subsequent finish were sublime, it was a rare clear-cut chance against the Shrewsbury defence caused by a fortuitous bounce.

After the goal, the hosts shrank temporarily, lacking pressure in midfield and dropping the screen in the centre that'd served them so well. Schurrle and Drogba both got off long shots in space and that was indicative of the time allowed to Chelsea's players.

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Mellon soon shook his side up, though, and emphasis was placed on young midfield talent Ryan Woods carrying the ball centrally and spreading play. This brought both wings into play earlier, and allowed plenty of action to the fresh substitutes being brought on.

The retort, of course, came from a set piece. Predictably the lower league side used it as a point of emphasis, and Andrew Mangan turned a loose ball home after another good Lawrence delivery.

Quickfire Conclusions

• Shrewsbury were unfortunate that a slip from Demetriou after the equaliser led to the winner from Chelsea.
• The Blues dominated on the ball from start to finish but struggled to find a way past a well-drilled side. Although Cesc Fabregas badly needed a rest, he would have had this tie done in 30 minutes and could have played just 45 minutes.
• Zouma struggled under pressure and didn't exactly convince at centre-back; Christensen was more assured than many thought out of position on the right.
• Salah looked rusty but got going in the end. He should probably leave Chelsea in January—at least on loan.

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