Tactical Analysis: Jadon Sancho’s Chelsea Debut Unblocks the Left Wing
With Jadon Sancho looking to relaunch his career at Chelsea, it was exciting to see him have an impact and get love from the fans while he electrified the left wing together with Marc Cucurella. Now, with all eyes on him as he looks to rebuild his reputation after a less than ideal spell at Manchester United, Sancho was a spark in a somewhat uninspiring Chelsea offense.
Pedro Neto‘s Slow Start
Pedro Neto had a slow start at Chelsea, failing to make the impact that the fans expected from such a signing. He averaged 1 successful dribble per game and just 3 touches in the opposition’s box. He shot only once in the 180 minutes he played so far for Chelsea. So with these stats, Neto’s performance failed to fire up Chelsea’s left wing.
Indeed, he got an assist for Joao Felix against his former team in Chelsea’s imposing 6-2 victory in Wolverhampton. But Chelsea was leading by 3 goals. It’s still early in the season to judge whether Neto will have an impact in Enzo Maresca’s squad. There is potential, but we haven’t seen much of it. So when Noni Madueke and Cole Palmer are having a slow game, someone needs to pick up the pace.
Bournemouth Locking Down the Right Wing
As Bournemouth was keen on not making the same mistake as Wolves, they locked down the right wing, man-marking Cole Palmer and harassing Noni Madueke. They were the most fouled players on Chelsea’s side. Cole Palmer was the target of 4 fouls while Madueke had 3 fouls drawn. Both frustrated and annoyed by this, they didn’t have a night to brag about. This means that something has to come out of the other side of the pitch.
So after 45 minutes, with Chelsea generating a xG of just 0,18, with just 5 total shot, 3 of which were coming from Noni Madueke on the right wing, Enzo Maresca brough on Jadon Sancho. Chelsea’s xG jumped to 0,60 in the second half, still from only 5 shots. Sancho attempted four dribbles, twice as much as Neto in the first 45 mintues, and brought Chelsea’s away fans to chant his name from the stands.
The Sancho-Cucurella Connection
A highlight of Chelsea’s second half was the Jadon Sancho and Marc Cucurella connection and combinations down the left wing. Sancho didn’t cut inside much, he provided width down the flank. What exactly was Cucurella’s role in this setup? He was always attacking the half-space and engaging in give-and-go combinations with Sancho to penetrate the box and cross it.
Sancho and Cucurella were the main outlet for Chelsea to get into Bournemouth’s box. They both lead the statistics for touches in the attacking third, with Sancho having 25 and Cucurella 22. Also tied for first place with 3 touches in the penalty area. This is very reminiscent of the Nico Williams-Marc Cucurella dynamic we saw in Spain’s Euro 2024 campaign, when Williams and Cucurella took turns in attacking the half-space and providing width.
Nicolas Jackson’s biggest chance came from one of these combinations. Renato Veiga broke the lines with a pass that launched Nicolas Jackson, with Jadon Sancho trailing behind him. Cucurella attacks the half space as he, Jackson and Sancho form a triangle. Jackson combine with Cucurella, who sent it to Sancho as Jackson was running into the box. Sancho took on two Bournemouth defenders and flicked it between them to Jackson. He curled one, but it was over the goal.
Overload to Isolate, Getting the Qualitative Advantage
Chelsea’s goal came from the overload to isolate principle, with Sancho being set up to enter a one-on-one duel with Julian Araujo. During build-up, Chelsea’s back three shifted towards the right wing. Cucurella inverted in midfield to overload the side, pulling Bournemouth to shift their formation.
This tactic, although it overloads and gains a numerical advantage on one side of the pitch, focuses on getting a qualitative advantage on the other. This means pitting a dribbler against a defender that is easier to overcome. Enter Jadon Sancho.
By switching up play on the other side, Jadon Sancho is in a one-versus-one situation against Julian Araujo. The defender allowed him ample space and time to find the perfect through ball for Nkunku. The Frenchman held his composure in the box between three defenders and Chelsea got the three points.
Conclusions
Jadon Sancho’s impact at Chelsea is already becoming apparent, as his partnership with Marc Cucurella provided much-needed width and dynamism on the left wing. While Pedro Neto has struggled to make an impact and Bournemouth effectively neutralized Chelsea’s right side, Sancho’s substitution shifted the dynamic. His combination play with Cucurella and the application of the overload-to-isolate tactic gave Chelsea a creative outlet that had been lacking. With promising early signs of Sancho’s resurgence, Chelsea fans can hope to see him continue to rebuild his career and bring fresh energy to the team’s attack.
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