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In the latest episode of Chelsea Tactical Analysis, Pradhyum Reddy discusses Thomas Tuchel's strengths and how Atletico Madrid are expected to line up for the second leg of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 ties.
When Atletico Madrid travels to Stamford Bridge to take on Chelsea, we are expecting to see an out-and-out tactical battle between Diego Simeone and Thomas Tuchel. That's probably not the best recipe for entertainment as evidenced by the first leg, in which Chelsea won 1-0 thanks to an Olivier Giroud strike in the 68th minute.
Pradhyum Reddy draws our attention to Thomas Tuchel's in-game management, referencing how Callum Hudson-Odoi was brought on in the second half of the Blues' recent game against Southampton before being subbed off 30 minutes later because it did not work out. Tuchel never shies away from making such decisions.
He subsequently started Callum Hudson-Odoi in the game against Atletico Madrid and the players will, in due time, be able to cope with Tuchel's way of doing things. Tuchel has, in his own way, informed the players that his decisions are not personal and different matches need to be managed differently.
The tactics worked too and it would have added to the kind of trust that the Chelsea players have already placed in their manager.
Atletico Madrid went into the first leg against Chelsea with too defensive a mindset. They lined up in what almost looked like a 6-3-1 formation with most players having to stick religiously to their defensive duties.
Right from the get-go, whenever Chelsea got on the ball, the Rojiblancos would drop deep and try to keep the play in front of them. They kept this going for the length of the match with the wingers dropping deep to help out in defense and they almost always had their entire lineup inside their own half.
However, Atletico Madrid sitting so deep meant that Antonio Rudiger and Cesar Azpilicueta could push forward and help out in attack. Perhaps Trippier and Carrasco's absence had a lot to do with Diego Simeone choosing to take such a negative approach to the game.
It looked as though Atletico Madrid would have been content to play out a goalless draw but Olivier Giroud threw a spanner in their works with a brilliant overhead kick at the end of a quick Chelsea counter-attack in the 68th minute of the game.
Chelsea will look to get the job done against Atletico Madrid
Pradhyum Reddy says he believes this Chelsea side has a great chance of progressing to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League, particularly because the Blues have an away goal in their kitty.
Another advantage that Chelsea has is the pace they have in the squad. Pradhyum expects Atletico Madrid to play like we've come to expect a typical Diego Simeone team too, where they'll drop deep and then try to hit the opposition on the break.
However, it's not advisable for Chelsea to look to try and defend their one-goal lead. Thomas Tuchel's side will need to play their natural game and try to hit Atletico Madrid early so that they are pegged back before they grow into the game and get comfortable.
However, in the absence of Mason Mount and Jorginho, who will miss out due to an accumulation of yellow cards, Chelsea might need to choose to go for control over counter-attacks. Otherwise, they run the risk of making the second leg an end-to-end contest and that might not ultimately work out in Chelsea's favor.
Both Pradhyum Reddy and Arjun Kapoor predict the scoreline to be 2-1 in favor of Chelsea. The players and the manager will want to make a statement with this contest as beating Atletico Madrid would be quite an achievement in itself for this side that's still settling down under a new manager.
