Wednesday, February 26, 2025

Chelsea have new coach to thank for 4-0 win over Southampton as Blues finally solve major problem at Stamford Bridge

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Chelsea returned to the top four after picking up a big 4-0 win at Stamford Bridge over Southampton in the Premier League.

There was plenty of angst around West London in the build up to the game after a poor run of form that had seen them drop as low as seventh before the game.

Chelsea fans arrived early at Stamford Bridge to take part in a protest aimed at the owners of the club, with Todd Boehly on the end of plenty of abuse from those in attendance.

On the pitch, the Blues got the job done in the early stages as Christopher Nkunku, Pedro Neto and Levi Colwill found the net in the first half.

Photo by Gaspafotos/MB Media/Getty Images
Photo by Gaspafotos/MB Media/Getty Images

New Chelsea set-piece coach plays huge part in 4-0 win over Southampton

Marc Cucurella put the finishing touches on a dominant victory, and the Blues actually answered one of their biggest criticisms from this season.

Set pieces have not normally ended up in goals for the Blues under Enzo Maresca, despite making the high-profile addition of Bernardo Cueva to their coaching staff.

Tonight though, both Nkunku and Colwill converted from set-pieces, with neat routines allowing for relatively comfortable finishes at the back post.

The Blues recently made the acquisition of set piece performance analyst Max Vogelsang-Szczupak to assist with trying to solve one of the big issues at Stamford Bridge, and his work was on full display at Stamford Bridge.

Cole Palmer and Enzo Fernandez have frequently delivered dangerous set-pieces, however converting them has been a different story.

Some of these have contributed to the plethora of chances created by Palmer that have not resulted in assists since December.

Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images
Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images

Who is Max Vogelsang-Szczupak?

Vogelsang-Szczupak was hired from Middlesbrough after more than two years at the club, with his work clearly impressing senior figures at Chelsea.

He has previously worked for Rangers and Sheffield United as an academy analyst, however seems to have settled on set-pieces being his mantra.

The Blues lack height a lot of the time when lining up for corners or dangerous free-kicks. Tosin Adarabioyo towers over the rest of the squad who started against Southampton.

It was clear earlier in the season how effective these methods of scoring can be for Arsenal, who find themselves comfortably above the Blues in the table.

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