Chelsea are a growing threat under Thomas Tuchel

Chelsea are 13 matches unbeaten under Thomas Tuchel and the German is building the Blues into a team that can challenge the biggest sides in Europe.

With the dismissal of Frank Lampard as manager it was crucial Chelsea chose the right man to succeed their club legend in order to avoid a backlash from their supporters.

Roman Abramovich appointed Thomas Tuchel as the 13^th different manager of the Blues since 2003 and it is safe to say the former Paris Saint-Germain manager has hit the ground running at Chelsea.

The 47-year-old now holds the club record for the longest unbeaten start to management, moving to 13 matches without defeat following a statement 2-0 victory over European giants Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.

When joining the club Tuchel said: “We will build a team that nobody wants to play against.”

Yet the progress into such a team may have come about a lot sooner than possibly even he would have imagined.

The victory saw the Blues progress to the quarter-finals of the competition for the first time in seven years.

Chelsea’s new found defensive resoluteness and team spirit makes them a dark horse for winning Europe’s biggest trophy, especially after a favourable draw saw them avoid either Bayern Munich, Manchester City or PSG until the final.

While at first the positive results could have been attributed to the ‘new manager bounce’ it is now evident that the Blues have found a system and the pattern of play that brings the best out of their squad and especially their £200 million worth of summer signings.

What has changed?

Formation:

Playing with three at the back is something that is not uncommon for Chelsea, Antonio Conte came into the club and midway through the season switched to three centre-backs which saw them steamroll their way to the title, with what was the record number of wins in a single Premier League season at the time.

Lampard also used the system sparingly but saw success with it, most significantly recording the double against his former manager Jose Mourinho at Tottenham Hotspurs. However, the Chelsea Legend turned away from the system and instead preferred a 4-3-3 formation which ultimately led to his downfall.

Tuchel came in to replace the Englishman and admitted he devised his plans on the plane over to London with his assistant. Just a day later he fielded a very experienced side against Wolves implementing the 3-4-3 formation. Though the Blues drew 0-0 on the night what was most impressive was how quickly the players had adjusted to the new scheme.

Tactics:

The German’s Chelsea team have averaged 65% possession since his arrival and this has been made possible by Tuchel instructing his players to be brave on the ball and to play out from the back.

Their possession-based game is also aided by their rigid defensive structure where the players are now demanded to chase down the ball as soon as they lose possession.

This has helped the Blues to win the ball in higher and more dangerous positions to create easier opportunities for them to score.

However, more impressively it also means that Chelsea can snuff-out counter attacks and starve their opponents of the ball. This has helped them keep 11 clean sheets from 13 matches under Tuchel and only concede to one opposition player in that time.

Personnel: 

Lampard’s 18-month tenure saw him cast aside many players for several reasons, Cesar Azpilicueta, Marcos Alonso and Jorginho are just a few of the names that rarely saw game time under the former Chelsea boss.

Those three players have all scored since being reinstated under Tuchel and have further repaid the German’s faith in them with excellent performances.

Furthermore, club captain Azpilicueta is the only player to start every game under Tuchel showing that the new Chelsea manager believes in his entire squad.

The squad depth of the Blues is something that Tuchel is making full use of and despite not being at the helm in the summer the German has started to bring the best out of Chelsea’s £200 million worth of summer signings.

Fellow Germans Timo Werner and Kai Havertz have started to find their feet under Tuchel’s leadership, thanks to being used in the positions that convinced the Blues to sign them.

Werner has been redeployed predominantly as an inside-striker which saw him have 47 goal involvements for RB Leipzig last season. While the goals are yet to become free-flowing in the royal blue colours for Werner his performances have significantly improved and the 25-year-old has become an instrumental part in Chelsea’s quick counter attacks.

In recent weeks, Havertz has become the man to partner Werner up front and although he is widely considered as an attacking midfielder, the 21-year-old saw the majority of his success at the end of last season in the striker role where he managed to score eight goals in eight matches when spearheading the Bayer Leverkusen attack.

The German has seen similar success in the position under Tuchel and has played an instrumental part in all three goals Chelsea have scored since being deployed as the ‘False Nine’ at the club.

Finally, the central midfield position is a spot the Blues are spoilt for riches in and switching from a system that has three central midfielders to a formation that only has two has made competition for the position even greater.

However, Tuchel has made it clear that he will rotate between N’Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic and Jorginho depending on the opponents and his own tactics and all three have excelled as a result of playing in their favoured deep-lying midfielder role.

Overall effect

Despite all of this, the most impressive aspect of Tuchel’s reign so far has been his incredible decision making.

Almost every choice he has made on formation, tactics and personnel has been justified so far and is a vital part of why Chelsea are on a 13-match unbeaten streak.

Each change to the squad has been instantly rewarded, with the players coming into the starting eleven making the desired impact in their matches.

Firstly, Tuchel decided to start Callum Hudson-Odoi in a wing-back role where he was instrumental in the victory over Burnley. The English youngster set up the returning Azpilicueta for the opener before Alonso who also returned to the team for that match settled the game with an outstanding volley.

Then, the outcast Olivier Giroud was chosen to start against Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League last-16 tie and scored the winner with an incredible bicycle kick.

Next, Tuchel elected to veer away from the usual slow build-up play in order to capitilise on Liverpool’s high line and the winning goal came from a long ball in behind the Reds’ defence.

It was then the turn of Havertz to prove his manager right and in his first start under Tuchel had his shot deflected into the goal before winning a penalty to help Chelsea cruise to a 2-0 victory over Everton.

Most recently, the Chelsea manager decided to start Hakim Ziyech in place of the suspended Mason Mount in the second leg of their Champions League tie and the Moroccan scored the opener in the match.

Tuchel also decided to give Emerson Palmieri the first minutes in his reign as the Blues’ boss against Atletico Madrid and the substitute scored with his first touch on the pitch.

While doubters may accredit these scenarios to the ‘new manager bounce’ the sheer consistency and longevity of the success has proven otherwise.

Instead, credit can be given to the German’s ruthless management and insistence on perfection for the levels his squad have reached in recent weeks.

Tuchel has set an example to the whole squad through the double substitution of Hudson-Odoi against Southampton where he adjudged the 20-year-old to be lacking in effort.

Before calling out Werner from the sidelines and openly questioning his positioning against Everton after the German had veered from the plan of attack.

The combination of regular rotation and not settling for anything less than full commitment have boosted the players to new heights.

Room for Improvement

The only criticism for the Chelsea manager has been the fact that his side are yet to score more than twice in any of the matches that he has been in charge of.

Tuchel himself has acknowledged his side must improve with their decision making in the final third in order to convert their domination of the ball into goals.

However, should they keep their defensive stability while also improving their finishing the Blues could become a real force to be reckoned with under the German.

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