Chelsea: How to stop FC Copenhagen in 5 steps

After an unconvincing run of form FC Copenhagen vs Chelsea is a game that could end up defining the Blues’ season. Returning to Just Football, Scandinavian football writer Charlie Anderson pinpoints five steps to stopping Denmark’s finest:

During the draw for the Champions League’s first knockout round, Twitter was aflame with Manchester United and Chelsea fans’ feverish desire to face FC Copenhagen. It was the latter that eventually got their wish and, in all the bluster and bravado that comes with an “easy” draw, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the Blues had been given a bye to the quarter-finals.

Three group-stage wins and a deserved draw against Barcelona, however, suggest that, although the Danish champions are clear underdogs, they will nonetheless pose some tactical conundrums for Carlo Ancelotti. Here are five ways for Chelsea to bring the curtain down on Copenhagen’s Champions League exploits.

1) Restrict the full-backs

Just as with Chelsea, the key to FCK’s fluidity is their attacking full-backs. Right-back Ždenek Pospečh needs no invitation to gallop up the flank in support of winger Christian Bolaños, and it’s often Pospečh who occupies the opposing left-back, allowing the Costa Rican space to pick out a cross. Get the better of Pospečh, and Bolaños is left without support. Ashley Cole is obviously crucial here, but Florent Malouda will also need to be on his toes defensively to counter the dual threat on FCK’s right.

On the other flank, Oscar Wendt has the energy and awareness to dominate the entire left side on his own, freeing up the player ahead of him to make an impact centrally. Pinning the Swede inside his own half, then, would deny him the opportunity to link up with César Santin and Jesper Grønkjær when FCK attack down the left.

2) Keep Grønkjær out wide

Former Chelsea player Jesper Grønkjær has been reinvented as a central playmaker during his time in Copenhagen. He’ll probably start from left midfield in this game but, ironically for a player who made his name as a winger, it’s when forced into wide positions that Grønkjær is most effectively neutralised.

FCK will likely play two strikers with one of them, the aforementioned César Santin, drifting wide to stretch the defence. Grønkjær, starting from left-midfield, will move inside to prompt attacks from central areas. Ushering him out wide will create a sizeable chasm between midfield and attack. Ramires will be key in restricting Grønkjær’s roaming, but John Obi Mikel will also need to stay alert should the Dane slip the net.

3) Disrupt the central midfielders

Copenhagen play with two central midfielders, Claudemir and William Kvist. Kvist is the anchor, doing the unsung midfield legwork and covering for the rampaging Ždenek Pospečh. Claudemir, while also a fairly deep-lying player, performs more of a box-to-box role and can be a goal threat if left unchecked.

When FCK are in possession, Chelsea would do well to shut down Claudemir quickly, and deny him space to run into. Kvist, though, can be allowed time on the ball, as the Copenhagen captain is unlikely to prompt an attack or play any threatening passes.

4) Protect John Terry

Striker Dame N’Doye has been among Copenhagen’s most impressive performers this season. The Senegalese is likely to target John Terry’s lack of pace, as he did Gilberto Silva’s when FCK played Panathinaikos. N’Doye will play on the shoulder of Terry, exploiting the Chelsea captain’s industrial turning circle.

The Chelsea captain will need to be immaculate in his positioning, but his team’s tactics can also help put the brakes on N’Doye. By defending deep and minimalising space behind the back four, Chelsea would allow Terry to react to attacks as they unfold ahead of him, rather than getting dragged into a series of foot-races against the much faster N’Doye.

5) Get between the lines

Throughout the Champions League campaign, Copenhagen have been happy to sit deep and allow their opponents sustained spells of possession. For the opposition, the problem has been infiltrating the defensive box comprising the two centre-backs plus Kvist and Claudemir.

The trick – and it’s easier said than done – is to coax the two midfielders out, exposing the centre-backs for Drogba and/or Torres to run at. Despite his non-performance against Liverpool earlier in the month, Anelka could be useful as a withdrawn forward. If the right balance is struck, he and Lampard could alternate in dropping deep to drag Kvist and Claudemir out of their deep positions.

Another option here would be to exploit the gaps left by the full-backs’ forward forays. Kvist, though, is an occasional right-back and more than competent in covering for Pospečh, and Chelsea have no real right-sided attacking width capable of taking advantage of space left by Wendt.

Charlie Anderson is a freelance football writer and can be found on Twitter @LucianoSays.

(photo via Giam on Flickr)

Champions League, Chelsea, Danish Superliga, Denmark, FC Copenhagen