It was only just a month ago when Chelsea sacked club legend Frank Lampard as the hierarchy believed he was not the man to fulfil the expectations of the ruthless Roman Abramovich.
The Blues were sat in ninth position after losing to competitors Leicester City, five points off the top four and struggling for form which ultimately persuaded the Russian owner to axe the icon.
Instantly, Thomas Tuchel was selected as the replacement.
The German was sacked from his previous club, Paris Saint-Germain, on Christmas Eve. Despite being only 47-years-old he had bags of experience to boast before arriving at the Bridge, including a Champions League final.
Tuchel’s quick appointment saw him on the sideline for the goalless draw against Wolves just a day later, but this is far from the story so far under the new boss.
Ten games in and Chelsea have reaffirmed themselves as top-four contenders sitting pretty in fourth place without losing under their new boss. But what has Tuchel done differently to his predecessor to ignite the blue flame once again?
Tactical tweaks
A major difference between the two coaches is the defence. Tuchel has switched to a back three – a formation Chelsea are comfortable with and have seen before under Antonio Conte during the title winning 2016-17 campaign.
The established back three of Cesar Azpilicueta, Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger has seen them only concede two goals in the last 10 games and keeping eight clean sheets in the process.
Compare this to Lampard’s Chelsea who conceded 23 goals and only completing seven clean sheets in 19 games.
When Lampard left Chelsea, the expected goals conceded against the London club was 1.28 per 90 minutes. However, since the arrival of Tuchel the tactical mastermind has managed to claw these numbers down to 0.89 per 90 minutes. The second lowest expected goals conceded in the Premier League only behind leaders Manchester City.
Chelsea have looked a lot more reassured in defence and it’s clear to see that results have followed as they have racked up 18 points out of a possible 24 and beating teams such as Tottenham and Premier League holders Liverpool in the process.
Nous against ‘Big Six’ rivals
Tuchel’s ability to beat the big teams is also something that Chelsea were lacking in the first half of the campaign.
Lampard didn’t manage to beat anyone in the ‘Big Six’ all season, whereas Tuchel has already beaten two and drawn to Manchester United.
This could be because of the energy and spirit Tuchel has injected back into the squad with players looking hungrier to play and showing more desire to be on the field.
A reason for this new sudden burst of energy is not only because players are desperate to impress the new boss, but also because the manager is yet to start the same line-up twice.
Resting players and not letting them come back too early from injury is something Tuchel did at Borussia Dortmund and PSG and it is now paying off in south-west London.
The German has only suffered one long-term injury in the squad so far, whereas Lampard suffered multiple in the first half of the season to key players such as blockbuster signing Kai Havertz, winger Christian Pulisic and midfielder N’Golo Kante.
Chelsea’s unpredictable qualities
Under Tuchel it is unclear exactly what the German’s philosophy is, which is a very useful weapon to deploy.
Certain managers have clear styles of play such as Jurgen Klopp’s pressing, Pep Guardiola’s possession or Jose Mourinho’s defence. Since Tuchel has been manager of the Blues, Chelsea have adapted to the sides they have faced and it’s proven difficult for the opposition thus far.
On Thursday night, Chelsea travelled to Anfield to face top-four rivals Liverpool who play a high pressing game and create a lot of chances because of this.
However, Tuchel excellently managed his side on the ball to play out from the back to draw in the Reds before exploiting their high line with balls over the top. This caused the title holders problems all game, especially with the pace of Timo Werner running in behind.
Compare this to when they played Tottenham who field a deep back line and are very tough to penetrate.
The tactical-obsessed mind of Tuchel decided to play a possession-based game to try and unlock the gaps and create chances in front of goal. This ultimately succeeded as they came out victorious in a 1-0 win.
Although Tuchel’s Chelsea are yet to score over two goals in a game, they have not been shy of creating chances – as the German’s philosophy has unlocked the talents from the likes of Timo Werner and Mason Mount who already have six goal contributions between them.
Boosting player morale
It also seems as though Tuchel has made players regain their confidence and trust in each other as he is happy to field any player when needed due to injury, rest or rotation.
For example, summer signing Thiago Silva was injured during the derby against Tottenham last month.
A lot of people were worried about Chelsea’s defensive form without the Brazilian and asked questions whether they would cope without him.
However, in Silva’s absence Christensen has stepped in and has been outstanding in the back three. Despite only appearing three times this season under Lampard, the Dane has certainly staked a claim to be in the starting XI more often under Tuchel.
It is clear that Tuchel has improved Chelsea and will be aiming for trophies and titles in the future.
When he first arrived at Chelsea he said ‘we will become a team nobody wants to play against’ and he is certainly living up to his words so far.
But will it continue? Or will the managerial merry-go-round come into play once more? Only time will tell.
By Louis Moore
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