3-Man defense for Chelsea: The pros and cons

[This article is highly speculative]

Generally, we see a variety of formations being employed: 4-3-3, 4-5-1, 4-4-2, etc. but the one thing that is common to all is the number of defenders, 4. More recently, Italian clubs like Napoli, Udinese, and Juventus have all employed a 3 man defense by either fielding a 3-5-2 or a 3-4-3 formation. The risk that the respective managers took eventually paid off. Even Italy employed a 3-man defense to great effect against Spain in the group game at EURO 2012.

I wondered why some teams in the Premier League cannot try adopting this formation. Though I might sound far-fetched, and what I am about to present may be extremely speculative, I examine the possibilities of employing a 3-man defense formation for the club I support – Chelsea.

A 3-5-2 formation is my idea. But some might argue to classify it as a 3-6-1, it is up to the reader.

Defense

For a three-man defense, I feel the following are 5 essentials:

1. Aerial Ability

2. Skill on the ball

3. Positional Awareness

4. Pace

5. Last ditch tackles

One among the three plays as a sweeper, that is in just ahead of the keeper, and as the name suggests, does the sweeping work. The other two are plainly centerbacks.

In the three man defense, all the defenders are basically centerbacks. The out-and-out center backs we have are namely, John Terry, Gary Cahill, David Luiz, and Branislav Ivanovic. I present my view on how the above five characteristics apply for our four center backs:

	Aerial Ability	Skill on the ball	Positional Awareness	Pace	Last ditch tackles
John Terry	Yes	Doubtful	Yes	Doubtful	Yes
Gary Cahill	Doubtful	Yes	Doubtful	Yes	Yes
David Luiz	Yes	Yes	Doubtful	Yes	Doubtful
Branislav Ivanovic	Yes	Doubtful	Yes	Doubtful	Yes

[I use 'Doubtful' and not 'No' here, because opinions may vary]

The sweeper needs to be adept in all the above 5 criteria, but the player I would prefer to take up this role would be Branislav Ivanovic. Terry may have much more awareness, but inspite of his experience, I doubt his pace, and I would put him as one of the two defenders.

It is a straight fight for the other spot between Cahill and Luiz, though I would prefer Cahill, as Luiz is prone to the odd rash tackle.

Midfield

Among the 5 in the middle, 2 players are deep-lying. One plays the usual holding role, and the other is the playmaker, akin to Xabi Alonso or Andrea Pirlo. Then, there the two wide players (wingers). In addition to supplying crosses, they have the added responsibility of tracking back and helping out in defense, thus making it a 5-man defense when under pressure. Then there is the one central midfielder, who has the license to roam about in the middle.

For the holding role, John Obi Mikel, Michael Essien, Oriol Romeu, and Raul Meireles are the obvious candidates. Essien has not looked the same player since his return from injury, and Romeu can do with a substitute role. As for Meireles, he was an attack minded player at Liverpool, and with a three man defense needing solid protection in front of it, I would give this role to someone who is not that attack minded – John Obi Mikel (his performance towards the end of last season strengthens his case).

As for the deep lying passer, it must be, without doubt, Frank Lampard.

On the left, Ashley Cole is more than capable of supplying good crosses into the box and making some last ditch tackles. In addition to the above, he is primarily an attack minded wing back, which suits the bill perfectly for this position – equally adept in attack and defense. But this role would involve a lot of running forward and then tracking back – a tiresome role. Cole has Bertrand to cover though.

On the right is where Chelsea are not that strong, thus signing Hulk, Adam Johnson, or Victor Moses would do wonders. Hazard, Mata, and Oscar prefer to play centrally, and Malouda is way too slow and selfish. Benayoun is clearly out of the first team picture now. As a stop-gap arrangement, Daniel Sturridge can again fill in that role like that season, though he would prefer the role of the out and out striker. Personally, I would like to see Victor Moses (if he signs) to occupy the right side, he might offer more defensive work rate than someone like Sturridge.

As for the player with the license to roam about in the middle, either of Oscar or Mata, alternatively in each game, would do.

Attackers

As for the two attackers, one is without doubt the main striker (Fernando Torres). The other just plays behind him in the hole, beating defenders and releasing through balls, like what Rooney does (dropping into the hole). Undoubtedly, I would give Eden Hazard that role. The two can even alternate between each other at their convinience, and disrupt the opposition’s marking.

[If you consider the player just behind the striker as an attacker, the formation would be a 3-5-2. Else, if he is considered as an advanced midfielder, then the formation may be labelled as 3-6-1.]

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Advantages

By crowding the middle of the pitch with more bodies, the opposition’s midfield is out muscled. There are totally 6 players involved in the attack, with only the 3 defenders and the holding midfielder offering nothing. This formation would work to our advantage only if there is tremendous understanding with each other among the back 3, when the opposition attacks. Ivanovic, Terry, and Cahill seem have developed it by now. Our attack minded players, like Mata, Hazard and Oscar, are all pacy and have the eye for a pass.

Disadvantages/Weaknesses

This formation is extremely risky when the opposition counter attacks. The wide players need to track back and help out defensively, thereby playing two roles simultaneously. On the right lies the weakness, Chelsea do not have a right midfielder who is willing to help out defensively. But this should not be a problem as Chelsea have quite a strong bench for cover.

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Finally, we have the following starting XI with a 3-5-2 formation with an alternative mentioned in brackets.

GK – Cech

SW – Ivanovic

CB’s – Terry, Cahill, (Luiz)

DM’s – Mikel, Lampard (Meireles, Essien, Romeu)

LM – Ashley Cole (Bertrand)

RM – Daniel Sturridge (until an alternative is found) (Malouda, Benayoun, or Cesar Azpilicueta or Victor Moses if they sign)

CM – Mata (Oscar)

CAM – Hazard

ST – Torres

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Dear reader, this is my first attempt at such a tactical analysis. Suggest improvements in the comments section.