Chelsea need to define Tiemoue Bakayoko’s role
By James Dudko
Chelsea need to define midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko’s role if they’re to get the best out of the player.
When Chelsea spent £40 million to sign Tiemoue Bakayoko from Monaco last summer, it was naturally assumed the Blues knew what they were getting.
A surface evaluation said they were getting a towering powerhouse who had dominated midfield for the Ligue 1 champions. However, appearances can be deceptive, and Bakayoko has been far from a reliable destroyer since joining the Blues.
Instead, he has played more like a gung-ho attacking midfielder lacking patience and discipline. Rather than sitting deep to break up play, Bakayoko has roamed forward at will, often running beyond the striker only to fluff his lines as a finisher.
Bakayoko’s wanderlust has risked the tactical structure of manager Antonio Conte’s 3-5-2 formation. The problems created by Bakayoko’s erratic movement were obvious during Wednesday’s 2-2 draw at Arsenal.
Bakayoko started the game alongside N’Golo Kante at the heart of midfield. Meanwhile, Cesc Fabregas was given license to get forward in support of Eden Hazard and Alvaro Morata.
The idea was to have a secure, two-man barrier in the middle underpinning a fluid-moving front three. It was sound in theory, but Bakayoko routinely made sure the idea failed in practice.
His runs forward left chasms of space in behind him for Arsenal to exploit. The Gunners are still masters at bossing central areas, and Mesut Ozil routinely ran into the spaces Bakayoko vacated.
Ozil was a menace and was able to get the wrong side of Bakayoko even when the Frenchman tried to hold his position.
Bakayoko’s problem was how he routinely got drawn toward the ball. By chasing the ball instead of defending space, he left room for runners off the ball.
A midfielder with a true defensive temperament would know the difference between chasing an opponent and holding space. It’s a distinction Bakayoko seems unable or unwilling to make.
There was no symmetry to his partnership with Kante. It should have been a simple dynamic based on one dropping back when the other stepped forward and vice-versa.
Sadly, things ran anything but simply for the Chelsea midfield, as Bakayoko spent too long too close to Kante. He didn’t press when he needed to and was slow to cover any spaces his partner left, making the Blues easy to play around.
Whenever Bakayoko became too fond of getting forward, Fabregas had to drop back in and try and hold the fort. The latter is a supremely gifted passer, but not the kind of midfielder you’d want trying his hand at defending for long.
Fabregas having to do his best, yet still unconvincing, Claude Makelele impersonation is just one of the problems being created by Bakayoko’s erratic style. Both sides of his risky game were summed up by two instances during the first half against the Gunners.
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First, he recklessly came out of position to chase the ball and left a pocket of space behind him for Ozil. The German had the freedom to conduct a move ending with Alexandre Lacazette shooting on the turn and forcing Thibaut Courtois into a fine save.
Moments later, Bakayoko had strode free at the other end, taking up a position next to striker Morata. Fabregas picked out the midfielder with a superb pass Bakayoko couldn’t reel in.
The mis-control left Fabregas fuming at Chelsea’s frustrating summer import, according to Sunni Upal of The Sun. Supporters of the Blues also took to social media to lament Bakayoko’s inconsistencies, per the report.
It’s not the first time Chelsea fans have voiced their criticism of the midfielder. A Metro article collated some unflattering tweets about Bakayoko’s display during a 1-0 defeat to London rivals West Ham United back in December.
Conte needs to give Bakayoko a clearly defined role. If he sees him as an attacking midfielder, then he must play the France international further forward, where his runs won’t threaten the solidity of the rest of the team.
It would likely mean choosing between Bakayoko and Fabregas. The former has more drive getting forward, as he showed against Arsenal and during the 1-0 win over Manchester United earlier this season.
However, finishing has been poor from a player with just three goals and as many assists to his credit in all competitions. Those numbers would make it hard to put Bakayoko behind Morata at the expense of Fabregas, Pedro or Willian.
Alternatively, if Conte is going to count on Bakayoko to be the minder for Kante, the way Nemanja Matic was last season, he’s going to have to teach him lessons in positional sense and discipline.