IT wasn’t a classic – but the FA Cup Final was full of fascinating tactical details at Wembley.
Sadio Mane’s movement and Chelsea’s narrow attack which led to them struggling to play through the Liverpool press made it an interesting tactical match – you know, for a 0-0.
Sadio Mane caused major issues all afternoonCredit: Getty
There are few domestic club competitions, if any, that have the same sense of history and occasion as the FA Cup. While the Champions League has the glitz and the glamour it does not come close to matching the FA Cup for the history around the competition. This means that FA Cup Final day is one of the most anticipated and watched days in the English football calendar.
This year we saw Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool facing off against a Chelsea side coached by his fellow German Thomas Tuchel. This match also saw a repeat of the Carabao Cup Final from earlier in the season when Liverpool were winners following a penalty shootout – maybe we should have taken this as a sign of things to come.
The biggest surprise in the starting line-up for the match for Chelsea was the start given to the Croatian international Mateo Kovacic who was thought to be a doubt after suffering a heavy challenge in their previous match. Belgian forward Romelu Lukaku retained his place from the start with Kai Havertz starting on the bench.
For Liverpool, the team news was pretty much as expected. Fabinho missed the match due to injury and as such Jordan Henderson started in the midfield as the ‘6’ with Naby Keita coming into the midfield ahead of him. Virgil van Dijk was partnered by the impressive Frenchman Ibrahima Konate and in the attack, we saw Mane used in a central striking role.
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Mane’s movement causes problems
Over the past few months, one of the most interesting aspects of Liverpool’s tactical approach has been the use of Mane as a central striker. He has been used in this role at times in past seasons, typically when Roberto Firmino was injured or suspended, but the position never seemed to really fit him. It always felt as though he was a wide player who did not quite understand the positioning of the role.
In recent weeks, however, something seems to have clicked with the Senegalese international and now his movement when playing centrally is very, very good.
With Mane dropping deep to pick up the ball he was consistently able to find time and space on the ball. This allowed him to get turned and find the runs of Luiz Diaz who was attacking the space between the Chelsea right-back and right-sided centre-back
Now, Mane is a forward who is comfortable and confident when dropping back towards the midfield to receive the ball. This is, of course, the same kind of movement that we would have traditionally seen from Firmino in this role. As Mane drops back he forces the central defender behind him and the midfielder ahead of him to decide how they are going to defend his positioning.
With Robertson in possession we see Mane drop back towards the ball. This forces the Rudiger to match the run and space is created that Diaz can make a run in to
If the central defenders step out towards the ball and follow Mane’s run then the diagonal movements of the wide forwards will find space. If the central defender sits off then Mane is able to take possession of the ball and get turned.
In the early stages of this match, the movement and positioning of Mane pulled the Chelsea defensive line apart.
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Chelsea struggle to play through pressure
When you are playing against this Liverpool side you have to expect that they will press and counter-press high up the pitch in order to try to win the ball back as quickly as possible. Playing through the thirds and moving the ball out from the back against Liverpool can be extremely difficult given the combination of fitness and tactical understanding of the Liverpool side.
Throughout this match, we saw the Liverpool front three lead the defensive effort although it was the support of Naby Keita and Thiago from the midfield who would step out aggressively to support and join the press that prevented Chelsea from being able to play through.
While Salah and Diaz are holding a wide position and covering the wide pass man to man we see Mane pressing aggressively. He is supported from the midfield by Thiago
Typically when Chelsea look to build the attack they look to move the ball through the midfield unit. The likes of Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic in particular are key for the London side in terms of receiving the ball from the central defenders and then playing forward into the final third.
The pressure that Liverpool applied to Chelsea throughout this game when they were looking to build up prevented the London club from being able to play through and into their playmakers in the centre of the pitch.
When the ball moves wide we see Liverpool move to squeeze and press the ball. Normally in this position the next pass from Chelsea will be into the midfield
Because the Liverpool press was aggressive we saw Chelsea forced to play more direct passes than they would have wanted to. We saw more passes that were played from the defensive line either into Lukaku on the highest line or into space. In effect, this was exactly what Liverpool were looking to achieve within this match as they back the likes of Van Dijk and Konate to be able to defend direct balls.
Chelsea tried to play narrow in attack
While Lukaku led the line for the Chelsea attack it was notable that Mason Mount and Christian Pulisic were also selected. Neither is a traditional winger as such and this showed in their positioning in this match as they tried to play narrow behind Lukaku. The position of these two attacking midfielders was intended to disrupt Liverpool and force them to adjust their shape.
Tuchel seemed to want the two of them in the spaces either beside or behind the ‘6’ for Liverpool, in this game Jordan Henderson. The intention was for the ball to be played into the midfield for Chelsea and then progressed into the areas that these two players would be occupying.
The ball is in the midfield for Chelsea here and the positioning of the two advanced midfielders, both are narrow, means that there is space for the ball to be switched over to the opposite side of the field
There is a secondary aim with this narrow movement from two players who were looking to play in positions that we would typically be as a ‘10’. As they come narrow the wing-backs for Chelsea, Marcos Alonso and Reece James, in this match would look to move high. This would allow the ball to quickly be switched into the wide spaces.
Mount and Pulisic are both positioned narrow here as the ball is being played forward. This movement has pulled TAA inside and we see that on the near side Marcos Alonso is making a forward movement to attack the space that has been created
As the match wore on, and especially after Liverpool lost Van Dijk to injury, we saw Chelsea start to have more success with the central positioning of their players and the ball being moved through the thirds.
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Conclusion
So, Klopp finally has the FA Cup in his locker. Liverpool have two out of four and a penalty shoot-out passed us by without Kepa getting the headlines.
Liverpool’s Premier League dream is out of their hands, but even if they fail there, there is a Champions League Final to come.
For Chelsea, plenty of Tuchel to consider over the summer.
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