Adeyemi zoomed by in a Renault and put Borussia Dortmund ahead of Chelsea midway through the race.
– Exactly 5 years since total delirium of the Signal Iduna Park branded Ilicic, there is no one left of that Borussia. The formation is always the same, but in Terzic’s 4-2-3-1 there is room for the intensity of Bellingham, the balance of Özcan and the electricity of Adeyemi, all in support of the recovered Haller. Opposite is not Atalanta, as in 2018, but Potter’s Chelsea. Koulibaly regains ownership after the grandstand of the Premier round, Loftus-Cheek median 2 for the umpteenth tactical outfit worn this year, the supersonic speed technique of the offensive quadrilateral. There’s no shortage of ingredients: the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 is very rich. THE Blues they immediately make their intentions clear: 4-4-2 in the non-possession phase, Felix at Havertz’s level in the first of three compact, narrow and not excessively high lines. By not setting up a possession game, Chelsea want to unleash all the horses available in the restarts, increasing the meters to attack once the ball has been recovered. Only a Schlotterbeck’s clamorous recovery prevents Mudryk from dampening the European debut with the Londoners with a goal. The balance of the match travels on tracks so intense as to risk continuously derailing the yellow-black and blue trains: as soon as the combinations succeed, the changes in front are a wonderful whirlwind;
– The construction of Borussia is articulated in the search and exploitation behind and on the sides of the central dam Loftus-Cheek-Fernandez: when Brandt manages to receive in the movement to tighten and when Özcan creates superiority in the right half space, the hosts they manage to arrive consistently in the sixteen meters of Chelsea. After Mother of God by Thiago Silva (yes, you read that right), it is Borussia’s minimal and supersonic exchanges that illuminate the first half. A defect? Often it is Wolf who concludes, and we let you imagine the execution. However, the most tempting opportunities happen at the feet of João Félix: first he guiltily sends Ziyech’s chocolate high, then pardons Borussia by hitting the crossbar only in front of Kobel. Between one transition and another, the first half ended goalless;
– Captain Bellingham narrowly missed the second yellow card well represents the beginning of the German recovery: the intensity and aggressiveness are commendable, but against a team used to playing a couple of games a week at this pace, there is an eternal risk of going out of speed. The 3-3-4 in possession of the BVB foresees continuous rotations of the seven men in front, but what stands out is the movement of Julian Brandt: he puts himself in vision, literally, everywhere. Borussia’s advantage arrives, coincidentally, on a restart from a corner: Enzo Fernandez can only take the plate from Adeyemi, who dribbled past Kepa after 70 meters and blew up the former Westfalenstadion. Borussia lower the center of gravity, Potter tries to increase the dribble to manipulate the low block. He succeeds on the right, where James creates superiority and allows Zyiech to aim obsessively at the man. Koulibaly would also surpass Kobel, too bad Can does not agree and sweeps the ball on the goal line. The Swiss lowered the shutter on Enzo Fernandez in his last gasp, denying a draw that Chelsea would have deserved on points. The ending risks getting out of hand for Gil Manzano, who doesn’t have enough detective stories to calm his spirits: a nice starter for the return to Stamford Bridge;
– Brandt and Joao Félix they are two players destined to divide. For some, playing with the little finger raised causes nervousness, at the thought of what could add a pinch of healthy malice and concreteness to their teams; someone else would be sorry if the gracefulness and evanescence of their talent found a full realization, abandoning the ethereal aura of their game. Too philosophical? Great, here’s a more down-to-earth comparison. Mudryk and Knuckles from Super Mario Bros: compact, racist, powerful, averagely stupid, you never stop it because it often sabotages itself along the way, crashing everywhere;
– Initially used as a second striker, later even as a central reference. With the return of Haller, finally Karim Adeyemi he has found the ideal placement on the pitch: on the offensive left end, relieved of central creation tasks, fewer touches to increase his explosiveness and exploit the pitch frequency in isolation. The general public had left him stripped by the Japanese strikers in Qatar, but this performance gives us back the vero Nico Schlotterbeck: physical and technical exuberance, suitable for defending in advance with a tide of the field behind him, left-handed with an educated approach. Business suit. Graham Potter he was often seen clapping, cheering and appreciating the effort of his parents. The system, however, is yet to fix.