Thomas Tuchel has proven himself to be a chameleon several times in the course of his coaching career. At Mainz 05, his team fit out of one “Feeling of extreme inferiority” usually to the opponent. On the other hand, he made Borussia Dortmund an attractive ball possession team, at Paris St. Germain he created a system in which the big stars Kylian Mbappé and Neymar felt as comfortable as possible.
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It was eagerly awaited how Tuchel would approach his fourth job at Chelsea. After four games and ten points, the start can be regarded as successful. The showpiece is the defense: Only a rather silly own goal by Antonio Rüdiger caught the Blues under Tuchel. The fact that Tuchel’s focus is initially on stability pays off – but at the expense of the offensive.
Up to eight defensive players
In all games, Tuchel relied on a mix of three, four and five chains. Against Tottenham (1-0) and yesterday against Sheffield (2-1), the German coach set up five trained defenders, first two, later three sixes. For offensive players like Kai Havertz, Hakim Ziyech, Christian Pulisic or Tammy Abraham, there is often only the bank. In the attack, Tuchel rotates diligently through.
But it is clear where the path should go. “We have to create more clear opportunities”, noted Tuchel after the Tottenham game. In return, the 47-year-old will sooner or later prove to be a chameleon again and have to rely on more aggressively thinking players. When this will be the case is unclear. Tuchel has not yet been able to rehearse much with his new team. For now, Chelsea are quite successful with the play it safe style – although the first Tuchel games were not particularly nice to look at.
Highlights from win number 3️⃣ in a row ???? #SHUCHE pic.twitter.com/Ev6LQoXb0K
– Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) February 8, 2021
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