Chelsea's inventive midfielders will benefit Fernando Torres
The Spanish striker did not score against Wigan but he was well served by the versatile Juan Mata and Eden Hazard
Eden Hazard and Juan Mata combined excellently for Chelsea towards the right of the pitch, so Fernando Torres angled his runs in behind the defence from the opposite side.
It's difficult to work out Roberto Di Matteo's preferred football style. When he was manager of West Bromwich Albion his side played an attack-minded 4-2-3-1 system, but he was sacked 18 months ago because the side conceded too many goals, among reports that little time was spent working on team shape in training. In stark contrast, Di Matteo won the Champions League last season by assembling an extremely defensive side that benefited from admirable organisation.
His first league game as coach since signing a two-year deal offered no definitive answer to the tactics he will employ in 2012-13. After Chelsea raced into a 2-0 lead in only seven minutes, the onus was on Wigan to make the running for the rest of the game.
The home side dominated possession, which says something about Di Matteo's approach. Other managers looking to shut down a match would have insisted upon ball retention to frustrate the opposition and slow the tempo, but Chelsea were more reactive, happy to drop deep towards their own goal. They attempted half as many passes in the final third as Wigan, and had only six shots.
In the first half, however, we glimpsed a new Chelsea, a side that offered intelligent movement and interchanging of positions. Juan Mata started the game on the right of a 4-2-3-1, with Eden Hazard in the central attacking role behind Fernando Torres, and Ryan Bertrand on the left. Whereas Bertrand stuck to his flank, Mata and Hazard constantly switched positions, and Chelsea's creative threat stemmed from this area – Wigan's left-sided centre-back Iván Ramis was at fault for both goals on his debut.
Chelsea dragged Wigan's three defenders out of position expertly in the first half, and last weekend's Community Shield match, against a Manchester City side who also played a back three, was good preparation for this test. It was intriguing that Mata and Hazard were positioned towards the right of the pitch in the first place. Bertrand was only playing because Ramires was ill, otherwise it would have been the same side that started the Community Shield. That alteration necessitated others changing roles – Ramires would have played on the right, whereas Bertrand is left-sided, but Hazard and Mata had no problems adapting.
That is a key feature of the new Chelsea – versatile attackers. Hazard, Mata and new signing Marko Marin can all play on the left, the right or through the middle. The substitute Oscar can play on the right or in a central role, while rumoured target Victor Moses, an opponent in this match, offers similar flexibility.
In addition to making Chelsea's line-ups difficult to predict, it will consistently offer greater lateral movement, as showcased by Mata and Hazard here. Rarely have Chelsea offered that quality – since José Mourinho's reign, they've attacked directly, battering the opposition directly through sheer force. Just as Didier Drogba was suited to that strategy, Torres should be more at home with technically gifted team-mates.
His own movement will depend on the location of Chelsea's creative talents. In this game, he started runs from the left of the pitch, so Hazard and Mata, from centre-right positions, could angle through-balls to meet his darts towards goal. He did not score, but he did receive service, which is promising considering Chelsea played the majority of the game cautiously.
Despite significant summer signings, Torres remains Chelsea's most expensive asset, and with Daniel Sturridge the only competition for his place in the starting line-up, his role is crucial. As a player who thrives on space and through-balls, he will continue to appreciate the movement and invention of Mata and Hazard – whichever positions they're playing in.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2012/aug/19/chelsea-midfielders-fernando-torres
