CHELSEA have been flying under the radar in the Premier League this season.
But Sunday’s stunning comeback from two goals down to beat Tottenham 4-3 has left many asking: Have the Blues entered the title race?
After a pretty underwhelming first season at Stamford Bridge, it seems as though £107m signing Enzo Fernandez has finally been unlocked by Enzo Maresca.
Here, our tactical expert Dean Scoggins — from SunSport YouTube show Tactics Exposed — dissects how Chelsea shook things up to deliver another classic at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
1) The double Enzo
A TALE of two Enzos saw the Chelsea manager make a tactical switch when goalkeeper Robert Sanchez was down receiving treatment.
Many thought the tweak occurred after Romeo Lavia was removed at half-time, but it actually came once Chelsea went 2-0 down.
It saw Blues captain Fernandez start to drop back in into the inside left position to give Chelsea an alternative out ball.
Spurs missed a flurry of chances, with Son Heung-min the main culprit, before Jadon Sancho’s 20-yard goal gave the visiting fans hope in the 18th minute.
But the solution came when goalscorer Fernandez dropped into a much deeper role and Chelsea abandoned their usual box shape.
Once Malo Gusto replaced Lavia, the Blues dropped into a back-four allowing Fernandez to pick the ball up deeper next to Moises Caicedo.
The Argentine had 23 touches – the most touches of any player – and provided more forward passes while being tasked with switching play.
He’s usually the furthest forward midfielder, but in their new shape he came much deeper to collect the ball.
2) Fernandez’s genius run for Sancho goal
TAKE nothing away from Sancho’s exquisite strike, but the Man Utd loanee’s goal doesn’t get scored without Fernandez’s run.
It came moments after his fellow Argentine team-mate Cristian Romero went down injured and was replaced by Radu Dragosin.
Fernandez started the move inside his own half after receiving the ball from Sanchez and played it wide while continuing his run down the pitch.
He then dragged Dragosin out of the way while Sancho came inside and smashed it in the far corner past Fraser Forster.
Yes, it’s a little naive from Dragosin who didn’t communicate well enough with Pedro Porro – but the run was clever.
3) Don’t cry for me, Argie screamer!
JUST like Dimitar Berbatov and Teddy Sheringham, Fernandez is a master at reading the game.
Just when everybody is running in one direction, he knows when to stop, which opened up space for his stunning goal.
Tottenham were, quite rightly, primarily interested in stopping Cole Palmer on the ball, so Fernandez waited for room to open up for him.
The Argentine earned his luck when Palmer’s pass deflected in his path because he waited for the space.
4) Palmer, the best penalty taker ever?
WHO would you pick to save your life by scoring a penalty? It’s hard not to go with Palmer. In fact, I’d like to see a better taker.
The England star’s Panenka saw him break the Prem record for the most spot kicks with a 100 per cent strike rate by netting 12 out of 12.
He overtook former Man City ace Yaya Toure on Sunday, as well as the likes of Berbatov and Alan Shearer.
And it’s not luck – the angle run up is the same with every spot-kick, but his placement differs.
5) Colwill’s Solanke nightmare – Great No9 performance and great goal
BELIEVE it or not Levi Colwill often has the most touches of any Chelsea player – but he fell victim to Dominic Solanke.
Solanke led from the front and sprung Spurs forward in their early attacks by his clever off-ball movement
The 27-year-old’s run for his goal makes him a worthy successor to Harry Kane.
The former Bournemouth striker‘s growing connection with Brennan Johnson came off after Marc Cucurella slipped.
Solanke looked to his left to take Colwill away before changing direction with an inward darting run across the Chelsea defender to collect the ball and shoot.
He repeated those zig-zag actions for the rest of the game, and could’ve scored again if only for better deliveries from Son.
That’s the Ange Postecoglou tactic. It’s balls passed into the inside channels and fast crosses. And so they’ll do that all the time.
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