Porto vs Chelsea preview: What can Chelsea expect and how should they approach the game?
Chelsea face Porto in the quarter-finals stage in the UCL 20/21
Despite a disappointing domestic campaign in which they trail league leaders Sporting by ten points, Porto have had a very good season in Europe. After a 3-1 defeat at the Etihad on matchday one, they went on a very impressive run of games, winning four of the next five. Before Chiesa’s strike at the Estádio do Dragão, they had not conceded a goal in Europe for over eight hours. Following an extremely entertaining game in Turin, Porto booked their place in the quarter-finals, courtesy of a late free-kick from Sergio Oliveira.
Predicted line-up 4-4-2 (Marchesin, Manafa, Mbemba, Pepe, Zaidu, Corona, Oliveira, Uribe, Otavio, Marega, Diaz
Occasionally Porto use some variation of a back 5. Given Chelsea’s 3-2-5 shape in attack, Conceicao may opt for a back 5 to stop Chelsea from getting numerical superiority over Porto’s backline. Personally, I still suspect he’ll go with a back 4 in the first leg
Since they’re playing at home they’ll look to press high up with Marega and Diaz on the CBS using their cover shadows to screen passes into midfield. The next wave of pressure consists of Uribe and Oliveira, who are ready to jump onto the pivot if the front two are bypassed
Against a back 3 which Chelsea use, the ball side midfielder will step to the CB when the ball is moved over there
The goal in their high press is to force the ball wide, where they can then condense the pitch, using the touchline as an extra defender to force either a turnover and transition quickly, or a long ball which their backline can deal with
Porto’s first goal against Juve. All of Bentancur’s potential options are under control, with the Porto players being man-oriented on them, and with himself being under heavy pressure facing his own goal, he makes a poorly weighted pass back to the GK, which Taremi capitalises on
Taremi’s goal against Juventus was not the only chance Porto have created in this manner. They scored a couple of goals in a similar way after winning the ball back due to their high press in some of their group stage games too, so Chelsea cannot afford to be complacent in these situations.
Porto shift from their zonal block into a man-oriented press through triggers like a poor first touch, badly-weighted pass, player receiving back to goal etc. They then take out all of the potential options of the ball carrier, isolating and then pressing them
One weakness to note in their pressing however is the relatively large distance between Porto’s midfield and defensive line, who tend to stay back past the halfway line (against better teams especially). Juve couldn’t exploit this though as Porto made sure to keep their deeper players isolated.
Here Porto’s defensive line is nowhere to be seen
Lack of compactness again, this time against Marseille. Porto’s front 2 and midfield have pushed up to press, but the defence hasn’t, leaving a gaping hole between the lines. This was something Marseille failed to exploit however
One way for Chelsea to do so would be to position CBs and pivot deeper, inviting Porto pressure. Werner can vertically stretch the defence with the likes of Havertz ready to exploit the space created in the middle
If their initial press is broken they shift into a mid-low, vertically compact, narrow 4-4-2 zonal block, with forwards again blocking midfield access.
So how do Chelsea go about breaking down this block?
1.) Individualism: This is where someone like Kovacic would be useful. Chelsea can utilise his dribbling ability to draw out the Porto midfielders, and use this to create space in between the lines for the forwards to drop into.
The wider CBs can also drive forward with the ball to achieve the same effect.
2.) Luring the block forwards: Chelsea can also use the following movement pattern: ball is played to the wing, and the Porto block shifts across. Chelsea can then play the ball back to either the pivot or the CBs which will have one of the following effects
A.) The Porto midfield line moves back up to move towards the new ball carrier with the defensive line staying deeper, creating space between the lines for the forwards to drop into
B.) Both the midfield and defensive lines of Porto move up together. If Chelsea can string passes together at the right tempo then they may be able to catch Porto’s defensive line off guard with their front 3 making runs forward at the same time as Porto’s defensive line moving up. This is an opportune time for balls over the top
3.) Wide overloads: Juventus tried the following pattern in the first half of the first leg. It didn’t lead to a chance due to poor execution but could have done so. Sandro and Mckennie create a 2v1 against Manafa, who is drawn out as the ball is played to Sandro. Mckennie then had the chance to make a run in behind, or a 1-2 with Sandro
Wide overloads are one of the reasons why I believe Chelsea’s 3-4-3 is perfectly suited to playing against Porto’s 4-4-2.
Chelsea can use one of two variations of wide overload, preferably on the right as the wide CB on this side is on their natural foot
1.) Azpilicueta could dribble forward to draw the LM (red 8), before releasing to the RWB. The RF (Blue 10) then makes an underlapping run in the half-space. The 3v2 is maintained because the ball near CM and CB are pinned by the Chelsea CM (blue 6) and striker (blue 9)
2.) A similar action but players slightly deeper. The wide positioning of the RWB pulls the LM laterally leaving space for the RF to drop into. The CM and CB are still pinned and the FB will be reluctant to step out as doing so could leave space in behind
Offensively Porto sometimes morphs into a 4–2-2-2 with the wide midfielders inverting allowing the FBs to take up wide positions. The strikers stretch the defence vertically allowing their creative players between the lines
When Otavio plays as the LM though it’s common to see him playing deeper alongside the midfielders to help advance the ball or create a midfield overload
Otavio making a midfield 3, with Corona threatening the space between the lines
Porto in a 4-2-2-2 shape, with the wide midfielders moving in
One of the pivot also occasionally drops to make a back three during build-up. Against better teams, though Porto don’t always look to play out short.
Porto play direct. Long balls are aimed towards Marega who operates mainly in the right channel. There they look to win the second ball and can then combine on the wing before looking to get crosses into the box. Porto like to cross a lot, and only two sides in Portugal have attempted more this season.
Against Juventus in the first leg, Porto split their CBs wide to invite pressure with their strikers pinning the Juve defence as far back as possible. This had the effect of opening up space between the lines. Porto didn’t look to play out, however. They still played direct and given the increased space between the lines, they were better placed than the Bianconeri to claim the second balls.
In conclusion, Porto are a physically domineering team that are extremely well-drilled defensively and tough to play against (as Juventus found out). Chelsea can’t afford to be complacent as Porto will present a stern test. Nevertheless, I do believe Chelsea can and will progress to the semis.
Written by @O_H_99 on Twitter.
DISCLAIMER: This article was written from a Chelsea fan’s point of view and viewing Porto as the opposition, enjoy!
