I noticed this whenever @Chealsea rarely built short from a goal kick or in open play.
Gabriel steps outside the line with Palmer. Calafiori tracks Neto, Konsa tracks João Pedro, Rice tracks Rogers. Tzolis loses it—and this is exactly what Alonso wants. Chaos, trusting his quality to create something from nothing. Gabriel handles Neto well.
Tzolis → MLS → Tzolis → Ødegaard.
Now stop. 3v2. Ødegaard had to carry the ball here, forcing one defender out of the play. The situation becomes much easier. Instead, the one-touch pass to Havertz kills the whole attack.
16September 7, 2026 3.6K 2
