Chelsea set a record low in yesterday’s high-scoring 4-3 win over Brighton & Hove Albion, possessing the ball just 25 per cent of the time. Apparently, it’s our lowest recorded possession stat in a Premier League game, since such things started to be counted in 2003-04.
Opta’s one-word tag at the end of their tweet was “methodology”, which might imply that this will be a common thing for the Blues under Xabi Alonso. We lost the possession battle last Monday, too, against Fulham, though that was a bit
more even, at a roughly 40-60 split. But Alonso disagrees with the notion that this is part of any sort of overriding tactical approach. Instead, it’s just one of the tools in our shed (end), ready to be deployed when the game, or situations in a game, call for it.
The overriding philosophy instead is one that harkens back to the previous era of Chelsea Football Club.
“I want to win, whatever it takes to win and each game can be different so we need to prepare for the best, we need to train for the best and be prepared for whatever scenario we have.”
In an age when practically every top team wants to play possession-based high-pressing football that struggles against compact low blocks with endlessly boring u-shape passing around the box, it’s been quite refreshing to see Chelsea go more direct. Turns out, you can pass forward whenever you want! And you probably should! And you also don’t need to play it short from a goal kick either just to invite all the pressure; you can simply bypass all that and boot it up to your complete striker to knock it down or create for himself. Football doesn’t have to be complicated: if you can be faster and stronger than the other guy, you already have an advantage.
Of course, it is a bit more complicated than that, especially at the top level, and there’s a hugely important mental aspect to all of it as well. In fact, it’s that part with which we’ve often struggled so badly in the last few years. But so far with Alonso, we’ve shown decent resiliency, great attitude, and generally very good focus and have been able to react positively and overcome in-game setbacks.
So we build, one step, one game, one win at a time.
“It was a game of different moments, different feelings and at the end we are happy with the result. [There were] things, moments that we have done really well, other moments that this is a process. We are in the process to keep learning from us, to keep improving and normally it is easier with a win.”
“[…] After 30 minutes we have scored 3-0, probably in that moment we have played too much with the result instead of keep playing. So the [possession] data is not important, it is how you play and what we can do better. But it is never that approach, I don’t say today we need to have 60% or 20%. I never talk about those things, it is about how to prepare, how to be more competitive [and how] to adapt, even during the game…”
“[…] So it’s not that this is going to be replicated against Arsenal. Today it was a big challenge and it was a big test and next Sunday it’s going to be a big one but we can continue progressing on the good things and correcting the other ones that we can do better.”
-Xabi Alonso; source: Football.London
Let’s see what we can do against the defending champions next Sunday.
