Derby County vs. Chelsea: Tactical Review of Capital One Cup Game
Chelsea saw off the youthful challenge of Derby on Tuesday night, beating the Rams 3-1 as they progressed to the semi-final stage of the Capital One Cup.
Eden Hazard, Filipe Luis and Andre Schurrle netted goals for the visitors to seal the victory, while Craig Bryson bagged a consolatory strike for the Championship outfit.
Let's take a tactical look at how this game played out.
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Formations and XIs
Derby played their regular 4-3-3 and made two changes to their setup from the weekend loss to Middlesbrough. Jake Buxton replaced the suspended Ryan Shotton, while Will Hughes came in for Jeff Hendrick.
Chelsea played a 4-2-3-1 with Cesc Fabregas in the No. 10 role, Schurrle on the right and Didier Drogba up front. Kurt Zouma replaced Gary Cahill in defence and Filipe Luis got another shot at left-back. Petr Cech played in goal.
1. Chelsea's Pressing
Chelsea's pressing whilst out of possession was excellent on Tuesday night, and the pressure they put Derby under was key to gaining the upper hand in the match.
From the start, Jose Mourinho opted to send a minimum of three men forward to harass Derby on the ball. He knew Steve McClaren would instruct his men to approach the encounter the same way as usual—play out from the back, dominate possession—so he decided to test their mental fortitude in the face of a press.
Mistakes soon crept into Derby's game. Omar Mascarell's shanked back-pass to goalkeeper Lee Grant, which gave up a corner, was the first sign of the side wilting. Shortly after, the Blues forced a mistake on the ball, Hazard picked it up and four seconds later it was in the back of the net.
The Rams' commitment to possession was admirable, but it was ultimately what put them behind.
2. Derby's Struggles in Attack
After an initial 15-minute period during which the possession split was 65-35 percent in Chelsea's favour, per Sky Sports' live broadcast figures, Derby got themselves on the ball and into better attacking positions.
The first few forays forward ended in freeing up a winger for a poor, disappointing cross that came nowhere close to Chris Martin's head, but it steadily improved. Hughes, Mascarell and Bryson all saw more of the ball, but they couldn't decide what to do quickly enough in the attacking third before Chelsea shut the gate.
When you let the Blues fall into a low-block, you're going to have a tough time breaking them down, and dallying on the ball outside the box creates that opportunity for Mourinho's men to erect the barricades.
What Derby also lacked was a player willing to drift into the No. 10 space and try to play between the lines. All three of McClaren's central midfielders were cut off from striker Martin due to playing flatter roles.
In stark contrast, Fabregas had begun to pull the strings. The Spaniard created four chances on the night, one of which was converted into a goal. He also managed a whopping 95 touches, per WhoScored.com. Derby, for all their promise, had no player able to take the creative mantle and force chances through the low-block.
3. Chelsea Shut Up Shop
At the beginning of the second half, Hughes danced forward with the ball and tried to enter the aforementioned No. 10 space immediately, as if McClaren's half-time instructions had encouraged him to go for it.
Chelsea's response was to chop him down and concede a free-kick in a dangerous area, and the pattern for the game was set. The Blues' 4-2-3-1 became much more of a 4-3-3 off the ball as the half wore on, with Cesc dropping in to play a flatter role again.
The visitors barely troubled Mascarell on the ball in deeper areas, instead fanning out to protect that No. 10 space even more. Loic Remy came on to provide a more vertical threat over the top, and the game was essentially sealed by a brilliant Filipe Luis free-kick.
The Rams fought hard and impressed, showing patience and willingness to stay true to their game. Hughes had a wonderful chance in the second half after Johnny Russell beat his man on the outside and squared it, but John Obi Mikel came up with a game-changing block.
McClaren was happy post-match, and so he should be. Derby showed an accomplished style and kept the game closer than many Premier League clubs have so far this year.
