Thomas Tuchel and his remarkable revival of Chelsea

Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has been at the club for nearly two months and so far, his appointment has proved to be a very successful one.

Since his arrival, the Blues have found themselves back in contention for a top four finish in the league, as well as progressing in both the Champions League and FA Cup competitions.

Over the Christmas period, Chelsea found themselves struggling thanks to losses against Everton, Wolves, Arsenal and Manchester City. The Blues hierarchy had soon had enough and decided to sack club legend Frank Lampard just a day after their 3-1 FA Cup win against Luton Town.

At first, many believed that the sacking was harsh as Lampard hadn’t been given enough time to turn his side’s fortunes around, especially considering the success he had last season. However, Roman Abramovich was ruthless once again and swiftly ended the Lampard era.

Just a day after the Chelsea legend’s dismissal, Thomas Tuchel was announced as the new Blues manager. Everything happened very quickly, it was clear that the club were eager to get their season back on track as soon as possible.

Tuchel’s first game in charge of the Blues was the day after his announcement, a league game at home to Wolves. Despite being thrown in at the deep end and taking control not long after his arrival at the club, the German earned point for his new side.

With this season’s fixture congestion the games were coming thick and fast, meaning Tuchel didn’t have long to adapt to his new squad. Despite this, Chelsea soon went on a run of five straight wins. A comfortable 2-0 win at home to Burnley saw goals from the unlikely scorers Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso.

A midweek trip to Spurs would be the first real test for Tuchel in his time at the club, and a first half Jorginho penalty secured the three points. The Blues were on the road once again three days later, this time away at Premier League strugglers Sheffield United.

Mason Mount opened the scoring just before halftime, however an Antonio Rudiger own goal levelling things up early in the second half. But then Timo Werner won the Blues a penalty shortly after the defensive mishap and Jorginho was able to score from the spot once again.

A third consecutive away game saw Chelsea take on Barnsley in the FA Cup fifth round, with a 1-0 win securing their place in the last eight. A home win against Newcastle and a draw away at Southampton put Chelsea in a good run of form ahead of a tough upcoming run of fixtures.

So after seven games in charge Tuchel had overseen five wins and two draws, with only two goals conceded. The next few games, however, would allow fans to really see how well Tuchel has adapted to his new surroundings.

First, Chelsea came up against La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Champions League round of 16, with the game being played in Bucharest. In what was dubbed to be a close game between the two, a bicycle kick from Oliver Giroud gave the Blues an advantage going into the second leg of the tie thanks to the away goal.

Then back on home soil it was time to face the visit of Manchester United which saw a repeat of the reverse fixture form earlier in the season, a 0-0 draw. Next up, came away trip to Liverpool.

Heading into the game, the hosts had struggled at home in recent weeks so Chelsea had a real opportunity to come away with the points.

And the Blues proved too strong for their opponents, Mason Mount scored the only goal just before half-time in a 1-0 win at Anfield.

Four days later Chelsea faced the blue half of Merseyside at Stamford Bridge. Kai Havertz was the star of the show as he picked up two assists against Everton, with Jorginho scoring yet another penalty.

A 0-0 draw away at Leeds saw Chelsea drop points, but they were able to keep another clean sheet to add to their remarkable defensive record.

The second leg of the Champions League round of 16 tie was up next and with a 1-0 aggregate lead, Chelsea were in firm control. Two counter-attacking goals, sealed a 2-0 win on the night and allowed the Blues to progress into the quarter-finals.

Chelsea’s last game before the international break saw them come up against Sheffield United in the FA Cup at Stamford Bridge. Once again, Tuchel’s side came out on top and he will now see his squad compete in the semi-finals of the competition.

Overall, Tuchel has been in charge of the Blues for 14 games. With 10 wins, four draws and 12 clean sheets, Chelsea are one of the most inform teams in the country. They have only conceded two goals throughout those games, with the only goal being scored by an opposition player coming from Southampton’s Takumi Minamino.

There have been two key factors that Tuchel as altered which has led to Chelsea’s recent success.

The first is formation. Under Lampard, the Blues played a 4-3-3 system and would sometimes switch to a 4-2-3-1. The German has opted for a 3-4-3 since his arrival, with three centre-backs and two wing-backs strengthening the defence, as well as providing more support going forward.

The second is personnel. Andreas Christensen, Rudiger and Azpilicueta have all found themselves back in the  lineup, with the three rarely making the starting eleven under Lampard. Tuchel has also ensured that the youth players maintain regular appearances in the side, with the likes of Reece James, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Mount continuing to impress.

The new boss has turned this side around in such a short space of time. Although Chelsea’s form over the winter wasn’t disastrous, it clearly wasn’t good enough for those higher up in the club. However, the team is now consistently winning games and keeping clean sheets, with the players showing signs of confidence and belief.

The Blues were handed a favourable draw for the Champions League quarter-finals as they will face Porto, and winning the tie would see them up against either Real Madrid or Liverpool in the semis. Premier League leaders Manchester City await the Blues in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley, another big test for Chelsea towards the end of the season.

It is clear that Tuchel has been highly influential since his arrival; he has now made Chelsea a team that no one wants to play against. Their defensive problems have seemingly disappeared and there are goals coming from all across the pitch, thus adding to the depth of quality of the squad.

Summer signings Havertz, Werner and Hakim Ziyech have all shown signs of improvement too and are helping to make Chelsea one of the strongest teams in Europe.

It is important for Chelsea to return to their impressive form once the international break has concluded as Tuchel needs to ensure that his side secure a top four finish. Despite the league being a priority, there is no doubt that the Blues can be successful in their remaining cup competitions too.

The next few weeks will be both exciting and nerving for Chelsea fans, but so far Tuchel has proved that he is the right man for the job.

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