Tuchel joins the list of great managers to coach in the Premier League, as Chelsea were able to secure his services to replace Lampard. Thomas Tuchel – What Can Chelsea Expect From The German Genius? We will try to answer that famous question by taking a detailed look into Tuchel’s career so far. We will discuss his style of play, while also shedding the light on what went wrong for Lampard at the reign.
What Went Wrong For Frank?
Everyone wanted Lampard to succeed at Chelsea, including myself. Thus, the expectations were big, especially after the board gave him around £222m to spend during the summer. The club’s legend was able to sign key players that he specifically wanted, as Chelsea were ready to start a new era under him.
Things were looking great for Lampard in the beginning, as his side was making some good runs and climbing back into the top of the league. However, and as it happens often for any team in the world, Chelsea started struggling big time. A huge dip in form led them to collapse, having hard time winning matches, scoring goals and even keeping a clean sheet. Their 2-0 defeat to Leicester was enough for Abramovich to intervene, after that the honeymoon was over for Lampard.
The Thomas Tuchel Era
It’s time to turn the page and enter the Tuchel era for Chelsea. Although Chelsea fans are still frustrated that Lampard was sacked, he is a club legend after all. However, they should be excited to see someone as Tuchel join the team.
Tuchel is the 1st German manager at Chelsea, why is that being said some might ask? Well because 2 of their new signings are of the same nationality, something that should excite Chelsea fans. Will the German reunion in London work? We will have to wait and see. However, until then let’s take a closer look at the manager and his style in football.
Thomas’ Career – The German Side
The reason why Tuchel is a young coach is because his playing career was cut short by a knee injury at 25. He then turned to coaching, while getting a chance to work with the U14 and U19 at Stuttgart. His first major break came with coaching German side Mainz, after the departure of back then coach Klopp. That is where he became one of the most talked about managers in football. He was the most successful manager Mainz have ever had, earning them European qualification for the first time in history. However, after 5 successful seasons, a fallout with the club’s president over transfer funds saw Tuchel leave . To this day, Tuchel remain the most successful coach in Mainz’s history, averaging more points per game (1.41) than Klopp (1.13), the man who promoted them to the Bundesliga for the first time.
After Mainz, Tuchel also followed Klopp’s footsteps as he replaced him at Dortmund when the latter left for Liverpool. Although he was unable to break Bayern’s dominance in the league, he was able to win the German Cup and record the best points-per-game of any BVB coach (Yes, including Mr. Klopp).
However, his time at Borussia did not last long, as yet again he left the club due to a fallout with his superiors. A lot of specualtions were said regarding his exit. Mainly his several bust ups with high profile players, as well as with the CEO Watzke. Furthermore, the famous incident in the CL back in 2017 against Monaco, when the club decided to go ahead with the game despite having 3 explosions near the team’s bus. In addition, Tuchel also had an issue with Sven Mislintant,then chief scout, over the signing of Oliver Torres from Atletico.
Thomas’ Career – The French Side
In 2018, PSG were looking for a coach to replace Unai Emery and decided to go for the German. Tuchel took over a star stutted side, with the only realistic goal is to win the Champions League. Let’s face it, if you are PSG and money is not a problem, the least you can expect is to win all of the domestic cups. This was a new kind of experience for Thomas, since it was his first time to manage a lot of stars at once, the likes of Neymar and Mbappe alone are enough to mention. However, the German coach did not have a problem as he maintained a good relationship with everyone, especially Neymar.
Despite winning the domestic treble and leading PSG to their first ever CL final, Tuchel was sacked on Christmas Eve. This time, it might be due to his fallout with Leonardo and his critics over the club’s transfer strategies. Whatever reason it was, Thomas made it clear that he does not tolerate any interference from the management.
Will He Succeed At Chelsea?
Thomas Tuchel – What Can Chelsea Expect From The German Genius? One thing for sure, Tuchel is used to these kind of situations. Dortmund were in a similar situation to Chelsea when he took over. Despite having a lot of talents in the squad, they were struggling and finished outside the top 4. However, he quickly made his presence felt as BVB played their best attacking football under him. Although Borussia sold most of their players, Tuchel saw that as an opportunity to rely on young talents. That is when he gave 17 year old Pulisic his debut and integrated 19 year old Dembele into the squad.
We assume that the German will try to impliment the same mentality at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea already have the talent to get going and Tuchel seems the right guy for the job.
Werner should be the happiest with this appointment. We can recall how Tuchel changed Aubameyang’s game after the departure of Lewa. By allowing him to play as a straight up number 9, despite being used on the wings, Auba repaid the trust by scoring 39 and 40 goals respectively during Tuchel’s tenure. Werner is already used to play as a striker back in Leipzig, so we should notice a quick turnaround in his performance. Another star that should excel under him is Pulisic, after all he was the one that granted him his debut!
The German Tactician
Despite his tough personality, we have to admit that Tuchel is a great tactician. We remember his time at Dortmund, where he was able to build his playing style based on a strong midfield that gave his offense all the chances they need while securing the defense. Something that he should be able to do at Chelsea as well. If Tuchel was able to deliver great football by relying on Castro, Weigl and Gundogan, why wouldn’t he do the same with the likes of Kovacic, Jorginho, Kante, Ziyech, Havertz and so on..?
However, Tuchel’s job will be somewhat demanding, after all Chelsea have the 2nd worst defense in the top half. Therefore, the German will have some fixing to do. He already made an impact during his first game against Wolves, where Chelsea had 78.9% of the possesion, their highest so far along with a stunning 832 completed passes. In addition, Tuchel surprised everyone by playing Odoi as a wing back, where the youngster stood out in the new role.
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Players And Managers Famous Quotes
Let’s take a look at some of the famous quotes said about Chelsea’s new manager.
I’m very thankful for everything he did for me. Tuchel always trusted me and gave me a chance
Christian Pulisic
He’s incredible. A German with a Brazilian soul. He brought the pleasure back into coming to work and you approach things with a big smile and energy. He makes things really smooth and does things his own way.
Dani Alves
I would give my life on the pitch for Tuchel.
Neymar
Thomas lives football. He has this passion and desire to want to know everything and to get better. He’s 24 hours a day thinking about his team, the opponents, football generally. I like that about him. We have the same passion for the game.
Pep Guardiola
Final Say
Thomas Tuchel – What Can Chelsea Expect From The German Genius? He is an elite coach, as simple as that. In terms of tactics and playing style, Tuchel is a mix of both Pep and Klopp as he like to play a “tiki taka” kind of football while pressing the opponent.
Chelsea should feel lucky to have gotten him without costing them much, considering he was sacked and without a job. Getting a new manager in the middle of a season is already hard enough, getting adjusted to new league and players also. However, considering everything that we said we think that Tuchel will be the perfect match for the Blues. He will get the best out of young players, and Chelsea has a lot of. He will be reuninted with former teammates such as Pulisic and Thiago Silva. Finally and most importantly, he will have the chance to work with his compatriots Werner, Havertz and Rudiger.
After all, it is just an “18-month” contract and Roman can sack him if he wasn’t pleased with the results, he is an expert in doing that. As for Chelsea fans, you should be excited to have Tuchel as your manager and give him a chance to impliment his playing style. He should have great results with a team like that, as long as he can control his temper.
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