Early days, but here's a thread of a few attacking patterns that are starting to emerge consistently under Graham Potter, who is an admirer of Pep Guardiola (but then again, who isn't?)
Switch to WB/FB inside box: A switch is a near essential in helps alleviate opposition pressure in one part of the field and inflicts it in a different part. One of Pep's many tweaks was to amplify the benefits of the switch by using it in a certain way.
This was done by performing the switch a) further up the pitch b) by ensuring the receiver received it inside the box. The widest attacker/FB/WB in a 4/5 is usually the beneficiary. Here, Mount uses it to find Azpilicueta (FB) inside the box vs Wolves.
Here he does it once more – note the execution. The switch is quick and flat to minimize time for the opposition defense to shift quickly. The ideal switch sees Azpilicueta receive it well inside the box, with time to take a touch and vs one opponent.
Switches don't necessarily have to be one long pass. Like Pep, Potter also emphasizes switching across the field with a series of short passes, ensuring that the final pass is received by a marauding WB/FB in or around the box. You can see an example here.
In this one, the move begins from a throw in, and the ball is quickly moved to the far-side for the FB. Pep's City rely far more on cutbacks rather than crosses from deep. These switches facilitate deliveries from more dangerous zones.
Mount's off-the-ball runs: Having faced two back 4s back-to-back, an interesting tweak was Mount being tasked with making SS-esque runs behind a dropping CB. Vs Milan, Auba's frequent dropping drew out Kalulu/Tomori, Mount looked to run into this space.
Here again, vs Milan, Auba drops and pulls out Kalulu from Milan's back 4. Watch Mount try to occupy this space. In both instances he wasn't picked out, but with time and understanding I expect more of his runs into these spaces to be found.
It isn't just space in front of the CF, but space behind him that Mount is looking to exploit. Instead of just attacking with the ball, Mount is now attacking without it too. When the CF pins the CBs in the box, Mount arrives late to attack cutbacks.
A combination of some nice principles here. An good switch by Chilwell, attackers close together to play a quick 1-2, Mount arrives in the space Auba creates by dragging both CBs deeper.
Here Kai drops, dragging out a CB. Mount instantly attacks the space in behind. This hybrid 8/10 role suits his profile. A poor start to the season saw him make 7 key passes in the first 6 league games. In two under Potter, he has 8. Can do even better.
Instead of being just one of the three attackers, Mount is now being used as the catalyst, encouraged to use the positioning and movement of his teammates to manufacture threat with and without the ball. His intelligence in appraising space is key.
3rd man runs: Marcelo Bielsa calls it the most devastating weapon in football, and a couple of good examples have been on show. Here, Mount makes an excellent 3rd man run and scores beautifully, although it was ruled out.
Here, Mateo Kovacic and Cucurella both make runs on either side of Havertz to receive in space. A better final pass would have seen Broja get his debut goal earlier.
Seam runs: A oft-utilized move at City, starting with an overload or a player stretching the defensive line before a piercing run between the FB and CB opens up a chance to attack the edge of the box. This again allows for excellent cutback openings.
Here's an excellent one by Chilwell that should have led to a better cutback but eventually led to Chelsea's 2nd goal against AC Milan.
Half-space: Occupying the half-space lanes has multiple benefits. Apart from additional time and space, it can often drag a defense narrow and allow the wide attacker/FB/WB to supply cutbacks from in and around the box. Gallagher offers an instance
The best exponent of the half-space cross at the club is of course Cesar Azpilicueta, who used many to find Alvaro Morata for some memorable goals. There was a gorgeous one on display vs Wolves too. Expect Reece to utilize this from RWB as well.
CB long balls/GK launched passes/kicks: A tactic from his time at Brighton, Potter encouraged his GKs to launch goalkicks or passes into the middle 3rd pockets . The attackers stayed compact, in order to recover loose balls and spring transitions.
Here's another example against Milan. Mount, who is very poor in the air, does not jump. He quickly recovers the second ball and releases Sterling immediately, who should have squared it to Aubameyang.
At the heart of this revitalized attack is encouraging a quicker tempo, taking more risks in possession and going direct when required. While under Tuchel, the system saw control prioritised over everything else, Potter seems to have recognised that the profiles in the squad
suit a more fluid approach. Forward passes are encouraged over recycling possession for the sake of it, and it has led to a lot more openings than we've seen in recent months. The defensive foundations Tuchel built are vital to this too.
This vertical approach, combined with "packing" – using quick passes to bypass a whole line of opposition players, is benefitting players who possess the vision and technical ability to pull off certain passes.
A combination of these is also leading to some free-flowing moves. Here for instance, you can see all the principles at play – a series of short passes to switch sides, Mount staying close to the CF for link up then making a seam run.
Of course, this approach has the caveat of also being a double-edged sword. Should one of those risks backfire, the chances of conceding are high. We haven't done so yet, but we have been let off the hook a couple of times.
A high-risk, high-reward approach is certainly paying off this far. Vs Wolves, Chelsea managed 48 touches in Wolves' penalty area, the highest we have managed in any competition this season. Our crosses into the penalty area under Potter read 6,5,2, 8 (vs Milan.)
In the 7 games before him, they were 1,3,2,0,2,1,3. Nine of 15 assists in all competitions have come in the last 4 games. This is not meant to throw shade on Tuchel's immense work – last season we managed 43+ touches in the penalty area vs Spurs, United (2x), Arsenal and Real.
An ultra-pragmatic approach that worked well in the CL didn't translate well to the PL, where draws were incentivised for mid-table/lower teams. Potter also seems to have grasped the strengths of players better, which seems to be helping. A long way to go, but encouraging signs.
Loading suggestions...