Chelsea's midfielders are exquisite but do they have a proper pairing for a 3-4-2-1?

Which two of their current midfielders can solve the issue of balance?

Chelsea’s start to the season hasn’t gone to plan and their 3-2 loss to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium was quite eye-opening. Emma Hayes deployed a 3-4-2-1 system that was trialled in the preseason and it seems to be a new way forward. Chelsea had some good moments going forward with the front three showing flashes of brilliance but it was defensively where they were most exposed.

The back three seemed all over the place and the pace of Bethany Mead and Vivianne Miedema seemed too much on the counter-attack for Magdalena Eriksson, Millie Bright, and Jess Carter. However, besides the reality that the system is only a couple of games old, the prevailing point is the midfield double-pivot struggled to impose themselves defensively. Ji So-Yun was excellent going forward but struggled defensively. However, it was Melanie Leupolz who struggled to cope with the defensive pressure. She was replaced in the second half but Chelsea have a serious issue to solve if they are to continue using this system.

The crux of the issue is identifying the spaces that need covering in defensive transitions. Chelsea struggled to stop Arsenal from doing this and other teams can exploit this too. You’d think they’ll have less of an issue against ‘weaker’ sides with their quality enough to see them off but it’s in the big games where they need to have a solid plan in place. 

Arsenal’s 4-3-3 was aimed at soaking up pressure and countering Chelsea in the exterior and interior spaces out wide. They had a clear game plan to take advantage of the spaces behind Niamh Charles and expose Jess Carter’s lack of pace.

Let’s take the first goal Chelsea conceded against Arsenal. A patient approach in build-up allowed Arsenal to manoeuvre the ball and move Chelsea’s players around. Though it was slow at first, the tempo increased the minute Arsenal saw a window to switch play and attack Chelsea’s right. Interestingly enough it was Arsenal’s use of Manuela Zinsberger as an auxiliary centre-back in build-up that facilitated this, which allowed them push their left-back higher. The initial build-up down the right swayed Chelsea to move across and enabled Arsenal to switch play to the left and force Niamh Charles to push up, thus creating the space in behind for Miedema to run into. Ji was too slow to react and wasn’t able to cover the space in behind to be closer to support Carter.

Equally, this second opportunity sees Arsenal build-up slowly which Chelsea defend at first, however, at the second time of asking, Leupolz leaves Miedema and presses Lia Wälti who then finds the Dutch striker in space. She easily plays the ball out wide for Arsenal to cross. 

In both scenarios, Chelsea’s midfield are partly responsible for the chances conceded. Now, we have to understand it’s a new system but some of the positional issues can be rectified through understanding the system better but the overall balance is missing. What we want to do here is find an in-house solution to create stability in the midfield.

Chelsea have a couple of options when it comes to choices in the double-pivot. It depends on who starts in the front three for Chelsea and more often than not you’d expect Sam Kerr, Fran Kirby, and Pernille Harder to play. As a result, Chelsea need to find this balance further back in central midfield. The perfect double-pivot will contain a combination of creativity, positional awareness, and solidity. The two players need to work in tandem to be flawless on the ball as well as off it. Being able to cover horizontal and vertical ground becomes vital as more teams are starting to use athletic midfielders which means there is no room for a luxury player. In my opinion, there is a solution within the current squad that could help to resolve the pivot issues. 

Melanie Leupolz and Jessie Fleming would be the perfect pairing crafting a balance that this team so dearly craves. Both players have the desired characteristics to complement each other as the double-pivot in central midfield. This isn’t the first time they’ve played together with their previous appearance against Everton in their F.A Cup game last season in a 3-4-3. There is a mixture of creativity, solidity and progression. With Chelsea holding the lion’s share of possession in most games, they’ll need to be able to control games as well as be positionally mindful in transition.

Defensive Midfielder: Jessie Fleming

The first player in the double-pivot is Fleming. She is arguably the one player that every Chelsea fan wants to see given more game time. Fleming could be the perfect mould to complete the double-pivot and assume the role of the deep progressive playmaker. 

The 23-year-old is a central midfielder that has the makings of becoming an excellent box-to-box midfielder. Fleming’s playstyle is very much that of a progressive ball carrier who has excellent spatial awareness with a raw ability to marshal a midfield. She can dribble and ghost past players with ease and has very close control which enables her to keep possession of the ball. The ability to become a progressive dribbler means she doesn’t need an elaborative range of passing though she has one. Her simple and effective passes are more than enough because she can move into good positions through her movement with the ball. 

We saw glimpses of potential during her run with Canada where she was dropping her shoulder to outmuscle her marker, evade pressing players, and facilitate ball progression, by dribbling past players as if they aren’t there. She has the ability to increase the tempo and play quicker if required. 

Fleming’s ball control is excellent and is arguably the best in the current Chelsea setup. This means she has the ability to pick up possession from deep and progress the ball through a combination of dribbling and passing. The above example might not be a classic pick up from outside the box but it does illustrate Fleming’s nimble feet and quick decision-making to release the ball quickly. She’s able to receive the ball and release it out to Bethany England before Everton can get organised.

Her first touch and comfort receiving passes under pressure enable her progressive role. Receiving in more advanced positions means she can easily bridge the gap between the advanced wide centre-back and the forwards. If required, Fleming has the vision to spot line-breaking passes from her central midfield position that can open up opportunities without having to go through one of the number 10s. This example shows Fleming receiving a pass under pressure but delivering an excellent pass through to Sam Kerr in a flash.

Even in a defensive capacity, Fleming puts in an effort to become an extra supporting body. We saw against Barcelona how much the Catalan midfielders affected the game out of possession, so the combination of Fleming and Leupolz could improve Chelsea’s midfield in that aspect. Fleming isn’t the best tackler but her aggressiveness and proactiveness off-the-ball means she can harass opposition players to win back possession through pressure and misplaced passes. As Bristol City try playing out from the back, Fleming immediately presses the ball receiver and intercepts a wayward pass that ends up giving Chelsea another opportunity at goal.

Fleming can provide both a method of progression through build-up from deep but equally use her spatial awareness to move into good positions off the ball. Her intelligence in being in reliable passing zones cannot be undervalued as that helps to create space. We know that this system is predicated on how well the midfielders operate off-the-ball as much as on it. Fleming gives you an all-round presence without stepping on the attackers’ toes. Below is her heat map which represents her average movement patterns from the 2020/21 season. You can see how she is effectively playing in the right half-space and rarely occupies the central areas.

There’s an element of Amandine Henry in Fleming in that they both have an uncanny ability to ghost past players with ease from midfield and provide a threat going forward whilst being defensively savvy. Chelsea have one of the best progressive midfielders in world football if given regular game time and a chance to flourish.

Central Midfielder: Melanie Leupolz

Leupolz becomes the second player in this double-pivot who becomes a viable partner to Fleming. She does the simple things so well that she almost goes unnoticed. This role requires energy, intelligence, and understanding of space which fuel her immense running, dribbling, and ability to make the right decisions. Even when she’s playing part of a midfield two, she usually alternates between a defensive midfielder or attacking ‘free eight’ in Chelsea’s 2020/21 4-4-2 system. You could construe Leupolz to be a supportive defensive midfielder who plays a box-to-box role, contributing to both attacking and defensive thirds. Though she plays deeper, the German midfielder provides balance, energy, and drive into Chelsea’s midfield, ensuring they aren’t lacking a presence in midfield.

Leupolz’s main role here would be to provide the final pass to the attacking front three players and not over-commit in the final third. Her intelligence in passing and positioning means the German is able to adopt pockets of space in attacking situations which enables her to quickly transition into good defensive positions in case of a turnover. Given that Fleming will be more responsible for the aggressive pressing, it allows Leupolz to play more naturally as a conduit through her intelligence game management and passing just like the example below shows.

This passage of play against Arsenal is nothing spectacular, but that’s exactly what Chelsea will want from their midfielder. Here Leupolz receives a pass in space and quickly looks to recycle it out wide to Charles to complete the switch of play. It is here where Leupolz showcases her intelligence on the ball but also her ability to keep it simple. Chelsea have enough flair and creativity in the forward areas that it’s best to keep it relatively simple in midfield. 

Last season, Leupolz averaged 4.16 long passes with a 49% success rate as well as 7.54 final third passes at an accuracy rate of 66%. Both passing metrics tell us that Leupolz is a very good recycler and distributor of the ball. 

Defensively, I’ve already talked about Fleming being the main aggressor it means that Leupolz can freely become another line of the press with a layer of protection behind her. The German can help pressurise and stop the supply in midfield if the opposition bypass Chelsea’s forward pressing line. 

Leupolz’s heat map depicts her movement patterns across the pitch but what is most prevalent is how she’s able to get across the pitch actively. With help from a more athletic player next to her, Leupolz’s capability to become a more aggressive forward presser becomes more of a possibility. One of the few positive moments from the Arsenal game shows Leupolz perform the very same action pushing them back to restart their build-up approach.

Hayes does have a wildcard option up her sleeve by opting for Cuthbert. The Scottish international has the ability to become a relentless defensive midfielder patrolling the midfield. Naturally, a wide player, Cuthbert has a skill set that can be delivered in a more central position. In Cuthbert, Chelsea have a player who can become the aggressor who can complement a more creative player.

Cuthbert has the skills of a dynamic box-to-box midfielder who can make horizontal and vertical runs giving cover. It would be interesting to see Cuthbert offer a viable solution to the ‘destroyer’ playing deeper whilst offering some forward drive, especially against less dominant sides.

Cuthbert can shuttle across the defensive midfield area acting as both recycler and defensive cover by dropping into the spaces vacated by the centre-back and wing-backs. As a result, this can enable the playmaking central defenders to step up and create new passing angles and options whilst the wing-back is free to maraud forward. Additionally, Cuthbert’s midfield partner can progress from deep using progressive ball carrying or passing. Cuthbert can solely focus on covering the spaces vacated by the full-backs.

This is arguably the most transformative change Chelsea can make if they decide not to dip into the transfer market for a specialist option. Cuthbert may not have the positional discipline to be a readymade solution, however, with coaching and time, she could develop this part of her game and become an extremely important option.

The Leupolz/Fleming double-pivot will create a platform for the attacking players with their passing, set the tone for their team’s dominance through control of space, and individual inventiveness. Maybe Chelsea will take longer than anticipated to adapt to the three at the back system, but what is for certain is that in theory, they have a double-pivot that can act as a foundation to service and supply the forward line. Will Emma Hayes be tempted to create a new look midfield? We’ll have to wait and see.

Photo by Harriet Lander - Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC via Getty Images