Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel managed to hatch a plan that kept Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes very quiet in the 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
United rely heavily on their talisman and best player. If he doesn’t play well then United invariably don’t either and that proved to be the case in the west London stalemate three days ago.
There wasn’t really anything special as to what Tuchel did to shackle the Portuguese star. N’Golo Kante just followed him around and kept his distance when United had the ball but with an eye always on Fernandes.
When he got the ball, Kante was there to do what he does best - make the interception, get the ball back and recycle possession to get the Blues on the move once again.
Fernandes’ relentless cries of “come on guys!” to his teammates showed his frustration. “This is our chance” he also shouted late on with the game deadlocked, imploring his teammates to try something different rather than relying on him to make the difference.
Kante made seven tackles and four interceptions in the game at the weekend, most of them when he was surrounding Fernandes like an annoying wasp. The Frenchman was poor on the ball but that didn’t matter in the wider context of the game, he kept Fernandes quiet and thus, United.
Fernandes has arguably earned the right to look a bit spent having bailed out United on plenty of occasions this season (he has been responsible for 47% of United’s total attacking outlay this season with 25 goal involvements, be that netting himself or bagging an assist).
The big games keep coming thick and fast for Tuchel’s Blues as they visit reigning Premier League champions Liverpool on Thursday night and a whole new threat emerges in the Reds’ front three.
While Roberto Firmino has been off form in recent weeks, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane are still two of the best attackers in the division. The Reds have found some form as well thanks to a comfortable win over Sheffield United at the weekend which ended a run of four straight league defeats for the Champions.
It’s a new gameplan for Tuchel to devise. He has made Chelsea into a very strong defensive outfit, conceding just two goals in nine games since he took charge and one of them was Antonio Rudiger’s own goal at Bramall Lane.
Playing five defenders each match really should see your team improve in terms of goals conceded. Andreas Christensen has done a superb job stepping into the gap left by Thiago Silva when he sustained an injury against Spurs early in Tuchel’s reign.
Antonio Rudiger has been one of Chelsea’s most improved players since Frank Lampard left, Cesar Azpiliceuta has continued to show his ability to play pretty much anywhere by slotting in as a third centre half, Callum Hudson-Odoi has emerged as a legitimate option at right wing back and Marcos Alonso has made a comeback worthy of Lazarus proportions.
But it will be Kante, if he plays, who will be tasked with keeping former Blue Salah quiet on Thursday, just like he did with Fernandes.
While Fernandes plays more centrally than Salah does, who almost exclusively plays off the right and cuts in on his wicked left foot, Kante will double up with whoever is playing at left wing-back in order to stifle the Egyptian.
Ben Chilwell returned for the United game and didn’t do much wrong but has recognised himself that he needed to improve and now has proper competition for his place from Alonso. Chilwell’s defensive work may well get him the nod at Anfield, it depends whether Tuchel wants to prioritise an attacking wing-back or one that can help stop conceding goals.
Kante had struggled for game time initially under Tuchel as he showed a preference for Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic, with Kante initially injured when the German head coach arrived to replace Lampard.
But in two starts against Southampton and Man United, Kante has shown why he can still be Tuchel’s go to man to get a specific job done. It won’t be much of a surprise to see him sticking on Salah at Anfield on Thursday.
