As the most awaited competition in Europe is back in the form of the Champions League, Chelsea are set to take strides in the league. The Blues of Chelsea face an uphill task of battling it out against Spanish giants Atletico Madrid, who lead the race for La Liga. The encounter is going to be one hell of a rollercoaster ride as both sides have very different ideologies of playing football.
The prospect of Simeone facing Tuchel is also one to watch out for as both the managers are tactically very sound. The Chelsea side have done very well in the recent past but against Atletico it will be a whole new ball game altogether. With a lot of players doing well for the Londoners since the incoming of the new manager, it will be difficult for Tuchel to pick his starting XI.
Let us now have a look at how Thomas Tuchel might set his Chelsea side up against Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Champions League.
THE 3-4-2-1
The 3-4-2-1 has to be the best system and formation to be used at Chelsea under the new management regime of Thomas Tuchel. The emergence of Hudson-Odoi and Marcos Alonso has been like a breath of fresh air in the Chelsea squad even keeping out the veterans. Another player who has revamped his career at Chelsea is Azpilicueta, as he has led the Londoners very well since the past couple of months.
The midfield duo of Kovacic and Jorginho have almost always controlled the midfield for Chelsea as they complement each other’s qualities. Both of them have been hugely helped by Mount and his positioning along with his relentless work rate in the holes of the midfield. Reece James might be played in this game as he is defensively better than Hudson-Odoi in that particular position.
Timo Werner needs to build on his confidence and needs to pile up the goals if he has to become a player that he has promised to become.
THE 4-3-3
The 4-3-3 was used exclusively by Chelsea before the arrival of Tuchel. He might resort to this formation to bring in Giroud, their leading scorer in the Champions League. In this system, Giroud can be employed as the target man and cause some real problems to the Atletico Madrid defence who will be without their star man Jose Maria Gimenez.
Hakim Ziyech and Reece James can operate on the right hand side to deliver dangerous crosses into the box. With Kante at the centre of midfield, Chelsea can pour more men up front to test Atletico who like to sit back deep in their own half.
THE 4-2-3-1
The 4-2-3-1 is another alternative for Tuchel if he looks for more defensive cover with a double pivot in midfield to allow his full backs to overlap the wingers.
Ben Chilwell who hasn’t been a regular since Lampard’s departure may replace Alonso in this system for better defensive stability. Kurt Zouma may be preferred over Christensen in the back four due to his superior physicality and aerial prowess. In the absence of Thiago Silva, Chelsea will have to be specifically alert to the threat posed by Luis Suarez who has been in scintillating form this season.
With Atletico Madrid coming from a home defeat against Levante, Chelsea will be looking to put pressure on them from the get go. We should look forward to a closely contested game of football between two of Europe’s biggest clubs.
