We’ve covered Thomas Tuchel‘s tactical approach before on FootballCoin. And, so, naturally, we were more than a little excited to see his entrance upon his Chelsea debut. Here are the things we learned and where the Blues could be headed to this season.
Opted for a 3-4-2-1 formation
This is a strategy that Tuchel has, depending on the opponent, implemented throughout his career. It was a slight departure from the 4-2-3-1 used by Lampard in recent matches. It showed that the German is a man determined to adapt to his opponent’s strengths. Nuno Espirito’s Wolverhampton is a side that relishes dominating the midfield and creating counter-attack opportunities. In this game, they saw too little of the ball to make it count.
Made immediate changes to the Starting 11
Thomas Tuchel wasted no time in altering Chelsea’s line-up. As predicted, Mason Mount was the biggest name to be dropped. Academy graduates Tammy Abraham and Reece James were also out of the picture. So was Christian Pulisic, one of the Blues’ most-expensive signings in recent windows.
However, Tuchel did opt to start Callum Hudson-Odoi on the right side. The talented winger has often been frozen out of first-team plans. The German also opted to start in-form Olivier Giroud out front.
More tellingly of his strategy, is the decision to employ Mateo Kovacic and Jorginho as a central-midfield duo. The two helped Chelsea boss possession, even though they were unable to create many chances.
He has confidence in mature players
Chelsea’s back three against Wolves was comprised of three experienced players. Two of them, Antonio Rudiger and Cesar Azpilicueta, have been rumored to be among the players to depart the club for a long time. Tuchel seems to trust them. Thiago Silva arrived from PSG, the German manager’s former club, and was played in a central defensive position.
Conclusion
Thomas Tuchel seems to understand the cold, hard truth of the situation. He has arrived at Stamford Bridge to do what Frank Lampard could not get results.
He will no doubt support Chelsea’s recent, expensive acquisitions. But, if his time at Dortmund and PSG has shown him anything, is that managers will be judged on their capacity to win trophies. Tuchel may not be a diplomat, but he has all the qualities to be a winner.
