In the Zone: Chelsea's marauding wing-backs

Chelsea achieved their first victory in Group E on Matchday 3 with a considerable helping hand from their wide men.

In this analysis piece brought to you by FedEx, the UEFA Technical Observer panel underlines the impact of the Blues' wing-backs, particularly Player of the Match Reece James, in Wednesday night's 3-0 home success against AC Milan.

Goals

1-0: Wesley Fofana (24)

Milan had started the game well but struggled with the home side's power from set pieces. The Londoners won four corners in the first 24 minutes and the last of them brought Fofana's first goal in Chelsea blue (and in the UEFA Champions League too). From Ben Chilwell's deep delivery, Thiago Silva got ahead of Ismaël Bennacer and powered in a header that Ciprian Tătărușanu saved. However, with blue shirts quickest to the loose ball, Fofana was able to roll it home. From a Milan perspective this was the third of three consecutive set pieces and for the first two Thiago Silva had won the first header (completely unmarked on the first occasion) yet the warning was not heeded.

2-0: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (56)

Both Chelsea wing-backs had an involvement in a second goal which the Milan defenders will not have enjoyed reviewing. A good combination on the left-hand side between Mason Mount and Chilwell put the latter beyond Sergiňo Dest and though Chilwell overhit his cross, James picked up the loose ball on the right and, with time and space, sent over a cross. Fikayo Tomori, stretching out a leg, failed in an attempt to intercept at the near post, giving the unmarked Aubameyang a straightforward volleyed finish.

3-0: Reece James (62)

Playing against his first club, Tomori misplaced a pass out of defence, giving the ball straight to Chilwell. The wing-back burst infield on a one-two with Mount and, though Tomori was able to halt his run, the ball ran loose to Raheem Sterling who fed James, arriving in the box on the right. After a touch to tee himself up, the 22-year-old crashed his shot high inside the near post.

Player of the Match: Reece James

Just before the move which brought his goal, Stamford Bridge had echoed to a chorus of "Reece James, he's one of our own". It is not just James's rise from the academy which marks him out as a favourite but his impressive contributions as an attacking full-back. After three group games, Chelsea's England right-back ranks second only to Barcelona's Ousmane Dembélé in the entire competition for crosses from open play with 17 (five of them completed), and he ended Wednesday's game with his first goal and first assist of this European campaign.

The watching UEFA observer said: "He had a big influence on the game both on and off the ball. His power and aggression helped Chelsea to a clean sheet and he did well against the dangerous Rafael Leão. He was composed on the ball and ended with an assist and an excellent finish for his own goal."

Team formations

Chelsea

Chelsea's 3-4-3 set-up

For his first victory as Chelsea manager, at Crystal Palace four days earlier, Graham Potter had gone with a back four. Against Milan, though, his first Champions League win as a coach came with a solid 3-4-3 formation. The back three had the support of two clever midfielders and a disciplined forward line, along with the two aforementioned wing-backs.

The UEFA observer noted the Londoners' compact distances between the lines. Out of possession, they did not press high up to the goalkeeper but instead – once the Milan full-backs had the ball – sought to reduce the visitors' options on the ball and won the ball back with good work right across the pitch, from the front three to the centre-halves. On the ball, they profited from quick attacks with particularly effective play from the above-mentioned wing-back pair of James (21) and Chilwell (24).

The UEFA observer also highlighted the leadership of Thiago Silva (6), who showcased his experience, bringing comfort on the ball and defending his box cleverly with that deep understanding of the key moments when to intervene. Ahead of him, Mateo Kovačić (8) offered plenty of personality too, constantly showing for the ball and providing composure and quality in possession.

AC Milan

Milan's starting formation

Stefano Pioli set up the visitors in a 4-2-3-1 which comprised two blocks of four forward players and six defending players, combining man-marking and zonal defending roles against Chelsea's front three and wing-backs.

On the ball, Milan's formation switched to a 4-2-2-2 with a mobile if narrow front four containing Olivier Giroud (9) and Charles De Ketelaere (90) ahead of Rade Krunić (33) and Leão (17). This quartet looked to link together centrally, leaving the wide areas for the two full-backs, particularly Dest (two open play crosses, both completed). Meanwhile, the UEFA observer highlighted the work of the midfielders behind them, Bennacer (4) – the skipper who was clever in his use of the ball – and Sandro Tonali (8). The two of them provided a strong middle-third set-up in possession, looking to take up good positions and ensure passing lines for their defenders to progress higher up the pitch.

After Chelsea's third goal, Pioli changed his formation to a 3-4-2-1 to mirror the hosts' back-three set-up. To this end, he removed De Ketelaere and sent on Matteo Gabbia as a third centre-back, reducing belatedly the influence of Chelsea's wing-backs.

Features

The video above offers examples of the impact that James and Chilwell had on Wednesday’s contest. In the first clip the two combine as Chilwell plays the ball crossfield to James who, via a quick exchange with Sterling, gets free down the right to produce an opportunity for Mount. The third clip shows another move featuring a switch of play in the middle third which leads to James, with space to run into, crossing for Sterling to volley over.

If the UEFA observer pinpointed Milan's difficulty in defending the two wing-backs, he also noted their struggle to cope with the hosts' direct, dynamic attacking play generally, as well as their intensity off the ball. With this greater intensity, power and physicality, Potter's men were able to win the ball and attack quickly, and they effectively won the game in a purple patch early in the second half.

Milan, for their part, showed they are a team with talented individuals including Leão who, with seven take-ons, looked the most menacing of the visitors' attackers. For all the rightful praise for James, it was from his side of the pitch that Leão produced the best attacking moment from the Serie A side just before half-time, showing speed, power and no little skill as he drove into the box between James and substitute Trevor Chalobah to set up De Ketelaere for a shot that was saved by Kepa with Krunić failing to convert the close-range follow-up. A goal then might have changed the outcome; instead Milan's good work accounted for nothing as they fell to their first defeat of the group stage.

Overall, Milan had 669 touches to Chelsea's 698 and showed their technical quality but fell short in both boxes. Indeed of the 32 group-stage participants, only Copenhagen ended Matchday 3 with fewer shots than Milan's four – of which just one was on target.

The influential Ben Chilwell celebrates with goalscorer Wesley FofanaChelsea FC via Getty Images

Coaches' assessments

Graham Potter, Chelsea manager: "I thought we started off a little nervously, for maybe the first five minutes, which is probably the result of us really wanting to do well. But then you saw the appetite of the players, we got control of it and offered a threat. The first goal was important.

"We had to start on the back foot in the second half and we suffered a little bit, which is good. Then the second goal gave us a breather. Overall, I can't complain: clean sheet, three goals, great personality from the players."

Stefano Pioli, Milan coach: "We started off well, but then we made many poor choices and we could have definitely done better. The second goal was key, it changed our attitude. At this level you can't afford to slow down."