Pre-season may be a dreaded period for football fans but it's crucial to the progression of their clubs. A break gives those at the top the chance to address the issues from the season gone by. WhoScored.com investigate five sides who appear to have changed their tactical approach
Friday 19 September 2014 14:55, UK
Jose Mourinho may not have enforced a major shift in his tactical style this season, but the signings he has made have enabled the team to play in the manner he has desired since returning to the club. Last season Chelsea simply didn't score enough goals, compared to their title rivals at least, but they have hit the ground running this time around. The main change that has allowed for top scorer Diego Costa to steal the headlines thus far has been the speed and incisiveness with which they move the ball in the final third.
Fabregas was the missing piece in Mourinho's puzzle last season. The Spaniard has six assists in just four games, which is just one shy of Eden Hazard's team-leading tally in the entire 2013/14 campaign. The Blues' pass accuracy in the final third has risen from 71.2% to 79.9% and they are creating more clear-cut chances. Last season Chelsea created 49 clear-cut chances - as defined by Opta. That was level with Newcastle and just one ahead of bottom club Fulham. This season they've created ten already, which is second in the league to Arsenal. The Blues' at times toothless attack already seems a thing of the past.
To say that the presence of Aston Villa as Chelsea's closest challengers is a surprise would be a drastic understatement. After three eminently 'winnable' fixtures to start the season, Paul Lambert's side's recent victory at Liverpool was one of the biggest shocks of the season to date. However, initially it appears that not much about Villa has changed. They have still mustered the fewest shots in the league (33) and rank 19th for both possession and pass accuracy. How, then, are they second in the table?
The one thing that Lambert, Keane and co. have really looked to remedy was their woeful defensive record. Villa signed the likes of Philippe Senderos and Aly Cissokho over the summer and have extended an olive branch - and a new three-year deal - in the direction of Alan Hutton. All of these decisions were pretty widely criticised - that Villa have the best defensive record in the league at present (just one conceded) has taken all by surprise, but they've deserved it. Extremely well-organised over the first four games, only Stoke have conceded fewer shots on target (10), with only six sides having conceded more in that regard last season (175).
The one man perhaps under the most pressure to change the way his side played over the summer was Sam Allardyce, whose job security seemed to be in the balance despite a 13th-placed finish. The Hammers just weren't entertaining enough according to the board, an opinion echoed by the majority of the fans since their return to the top-flight. Last season West Ham had the fewest shots on target in the league (122).
The appointment of Teddy Sheringham as an 'attacking coach' was seen as a warning shot to the manager by some but the early signs this season are positive, at least from an offensive perspective. Only Arsenal, Southampton and Chelsea have registered more shots on target (19). Among West Ham's four statistical strengths according to WhoScored.com at this (admittedly premature) stage are 'creating scoring chances' and 'creating scoring chances through individual skill'. As much marks commendable progress.
United finally came to life last weekend, albeit against a QPR side that seemed willing to let the Old Trafford debutants enjoy their special day. Louis van Gaal's start to life at the helm of United has been a turbulent one, with the Dutchman keen to stress that the rebuilding of the team will take some time. There will also need to be patience with regards to putting his own stamp on the side, but the players at least to have attempted to take his ideas on board.
The new manager wants his team to control and retain possession effectively, with the notion that you can't concede when you have the ball. It's not panned out how he would have hoped as yet, but Van Gaal's men do lead the way in terms of both possession (61.8%) and pass accuracy (87.4%), having ranked 7th and 5th respectively in those terms in the previous campaign.
There's been a similar tactical push at Tottenham, where Mauricio Pochettino has looked to bring with him all the aspects that made his Southampton side so enjoyable to watch. The Argentinean is renowned for his fondness for a high energy and pressing playing style, and that has already been implemented to some degree at Spurs.
Spurs have improved their averages in terms of both tackles (19.8 to 22.5) and interceptions (14.7 to 15.8) whilst also jumping from seventh to second in terms of pass accuracy (86.1%). Only Chelsea and Arsenal have won possession in the attacking third more times this season (18), with Tottenham down in 8th last season in such a statistic. That 'stealing the ball from the opposition' is now one of their team strengths according to WhoScored.com is no coincidence.
All statistics courtesy of WhoScored.com, where you can find yet more stats, including live in-game data and unique player and team ratings.
