Tag: Thiago Silva

How Potter can save Chelsea’s season – Tactical Analysis

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Coach Education, Managers, Masterclasses, Premier League, Team Analysis

Since suffering defeat to his old club at the end of October, Graham Potter's Chelsea have lost seven of their last eleven matches. Injuries have evidently played a part, but Potter's problems persist even despite a wealthy eleven still at his disposal. The balance of the team remains up in shambles, even despite a recent redemption victory against Crystal Palace. With that, we examine what's wrong with Potter's Chelsea from a tactical perspective, and how the former Brighton man can turn his fortunes around.

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Why Manuel Akanji is perfect for Chelsea

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Centre Backs, Data Analysis, German Bundesliga, Player Analysis, Premier League, Recruitment & Scouting

The 2021 January Transfer Window is officially one week in! And with that, we’re continuing to take a look at clubs with a bit of a blackhole in their team, that desperately needs to be covered before the end of next summer. We’re going to match that blackhole up with one player who could potentially fill that void if a move were to be made in January, by assessing and analyzing a player that is a perfect match for the team’s style of play. Today, it’s all about Borussia Dortmund's Manuel Akanji, and why he’d be a perfect fit for Chelsea.

Top 100 Male Footballers 2021 Edition (60-41)

by Rhys Desmond, posted in World Football

The end of the year is nearly here! And that means it's time for our annual Top 100 Footballers list to kick off. This year, you had your say in our voting polls, and this is where you landed. Here is numbers 60-41 in the Top 100 Footballers in the World.

Centre Back of the Year – Interactive Vote (Top 100 Footballers 2021)

by Rhys Desmond, posted in World Football

The end of year is almost here, and that means it's time for our annual Top 100 Footballers list. This year, you, the readers of our website, will get to have your say. Just simply see the list of nominees below, and rearrange the list to suit your preference of first to last in each position. When we rank the Top 100 Footballers of the Year, we take into consideration a player's form throughout 2021, their club and national team success, difficulty of league, and their reputation + performances in the year prior. You can rank based on any criteria you desire! Below is our poll ranking the best centre backs in 2021.

UEFA Champions League Final -Manchester City 0-1 Chelsea – Tactical Analysis

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Match Analysis, UEFA Champions League, World Football

What a game. After beating Manchester City twice already this season, Chelsea entered the 2021 UEFA Champions League final with a slight psychological advantage. They absolutely delivered on that promise, winning the match by a score of 1-0. Thomas Tuchel became only the second manager since Jurgen Klopp to beat Pep Guardiola three times in a row, leading his Chelsea team to the Champions League trophy in his first six months in charge. Here is our tactical analysis of the final.

Chelsea 0-1 Leicester – FA Cup Final – Tactical Analysis

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Match Analysis, Premier League

Oh, the magic of the FA Cup. Leicester City came into the cup final as clear underdogs, with Thomas Tuchel's Chelsea in great form and a UEFA Champions League final in their sights. But it was the Foxes who came out on top with a stunning Youri Tielemans strike, and two fantastic saves from Kasper Schmeichel. Here is our tactical analysis of the match.

Futbol Masterminds – Aguero’s Legacy, Tuchel’s First Defeat and Liverpool’s Hot Streak

by Rhys Desmond, posted in German Bundesliga, Match Analysis, Player Analysis, Podcast, Premier League, Serie A, UEFA Champions League, World Football

Over the past decade at Manchester City, Sergio Aguero has established himself as one of the best strikers in Premier League history. After the announcement that he will be leaving City at the end of the season, the Futbol Masterminds examine the Argentine's career and whether or not Pep's team need to replace him with a summer buy. The panel also break down Tuchel's first defeat as Chelsea boss, Timo Werner's lack of goals (again), Liverpool's hot streak, and Lampard's future. To cap it all off, Russell has some strong takes about Serie A and whether or not it's truly a top four league. Follow @futbolmasterminds on Instagram to see more of the show and subscribe via Itunes and Spotify!

Chelsea 2-5 West Bromwich Albion – Tactical Analysis

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Match Analysis, Premier League

TheMastermindSite covered Thomas Tuchel's first win and first draw at Chelsea, so it's only fitting we also cover their first loss under the German manager as well. Chelsea were absolutely atrocious on Saturday, red card aside, and West Brom had their best game in the Premier League in several years. This all culminated in a stunning 5-2 win, with West Brom in full flow and suddenly with a false sense of hope about their survival chances for the rest of the season. Chelsea meanwhile had their dreams of third place dashed before their eyes, as they will likely now need to scrap to the finish line to now scrape into fourth. Here is a Tactical Analysis of West Brom's big win over the Blues at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea 2-0 Burnley – Tactical Analysis

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Managers, Match Analysis, Premier League, Team Analysis, World Football

Thomas Tuchel's second match in charge went more to plan than his first, and after a fantastic team performance against Burnley we take an in-depth look at the tactics he used to blow the Clarets away. Here is our Tactical Analysis of Chelsea's 2-0 win over Burnley.

Chelsea 0-0 Wolves – Tactical Analysis – Tuchel’s 3-2-5

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Coaching, Managers, Match Analysis, Premier League, Team Analysis, World Football

In terms of goal-scoring, Thomas Tuchel's first game in charge of Chelsea might not have gone as planned. But his team still put up a magnificent, tactically intriguing performance, and much promise for the future certainly remains. Given that he had only one day in charge of the Blues before this match, Tuchel certainly managed to get his point across regarding the tactical innovations that he wanted to implement in this match and the players seemed to follow his instructions incredibly well. The German manager changed Lampard's team more than expected, and even implemented a highly intriguing 3-2-5 attacking shape. Let's get right into this tactical analysis of Thomas Tuchel's Chelsea in their 0-0 draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Frank Lampard – Chelsea – Tactical Analysis (Post-Sacking)

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Coaching, Managers, Premier League, Team Analysis, World Football

Frank Lampard enjoyed a successful first season with Chelsea F.C., despite no new summer signings coming through the door. The Blues hovered around 4th for the majority of the season in behind Leicester City, and eventually secured 4th behind Manchester United. Lampard relied heavily on young talent in 2019-20 and the club were rewarded with fantastic performances from the likes of Mason Mount, Tammy Abraham, Fikayo Tomori and Reece James. In preparation for the 2020-21 season, Chelsea then went on to spend millions, securing the signatures of players like Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, Ben Chilwell and Edouard Mendy, plus Thiago Silva on a free. For a short period of time, it worked. With nine games in, Chelsea were showing great signs of promise, sat second in the table, and were well in the hunt for a Premier League title chase. Frank Lampard himself was making some astute tactical changes, and appeared to be coping well with the dilemma of how to show faith in his youth, while integrating all the new signings. But as the season wore on, Chelsea failed to make an impact. At the time of his sacking, the Blues sit in ninth, with many nearby teams holding games in hand. Losses to Leicester, Manchester City and Arsenal likely handed Lampard a premature managerial sacking; along with the fact that Thomas Tuchel was out of a job, waiting at the door-step for a call. So a day after a 3-1 FA Cup win against Luton Town, Frank Lampard was sacked as manager. Here is our Tactical Analysis of Frank Lampard's Chelsea in both of his seasons in charge, and an accompanying analysis of where he might land next.