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It has been a hectic week for Thomas Tuchel. He signed an 18-month contract with Chelsea on Tuesday, before training in the dark before the very boring game on Wednesday. You said a lot, Frank Lampard’s sent you a text message And that clock is already ticking Here are five things we’ve learned after his first five days in charge.
He is charismatic
Frank Lampard’s interviews and press conferences could be measured by levels of exasperation. The jovial moments, which were never common, became more and more fleeting, and in the end looking for fights I could never win and never should have gotten in It’s unfair to compare Frank’s latest appearances to Tuchel’s first, but fuck it.
He looks like he’s having fun: smiling at a question about the Chelsea manager’s conveyor belt; laughing when it was suggested that she got the job because she speaks German; Laughing again at an earlier admission that his favorite English club was Tottenham. He answered every question, be it serious or silly, with poise, an in-depth knowledge of the club he had joined just hours earlier and a more than formulated genuine joy that bodes well for a Chelsea team sinking under. Lampard’s abrupt intensity. .
There is also the behavior of the touchline: jumping up and down; stretching the neck to the head invisible balls; feeling and living every moment of the game. It doesn’t make him a better coach, but you can’t help but be drawn to people like that, who test the limits of their technical areas instead of standing with their arms crossed in a perpetual state of solemnity.
He’s a soccer obsessive
It seems like something that goes without saying: he is a soccer coach, or of course he is obsessed with soccer. It’s more that he’s obviously in love with the tactics, stats, and intricacies of the game. There’s no question that it could be exhausting and potentially disruptive without the big picture in mind, but for Chelsea, whose game plan seems to have been based on whimsical and impractical goals and advice, digging into the details could be a welcome change.
Within 20 seconds of his first post-match interview, in which he mentioned “intensity” seven times, he said: “Regarding energy, I think we had 16 recoveries in the last third “, when asked about N’Golo Kante explained why the “double six” is his best position and Callum Hudson-Odoi spoke of the specific careers his manager had asked him to do from an alien winger role that he handled with aplomb.
While Lampard would speak very generally about the way Chelsea pushed, Tuchel knew exactly how well they were pushing. While Lampard was convinced that Kante could play anywhere in midfield because he is so good, Tuchel wants Kante to play in his best position because he is so good. While Lampard would simply tell his attacking players to “go and express themselves”, Tuchel has told them how, where and when to express themselves.
Possession is king
Chelsea completed a total of 433 first-half passes against Wolves, the most in the first half of a Premier League game since that stat was recorded (so it’s almost certainly the most). By the final whistle, Chelsea had completed 820 passes and posted 78.9 percent possession, both well above their season averages of 563 and 61 percent.
It all meant nothing and the official social media account inadvertently stumbled upon its own team in an attempt to sugarcoat that fact, but we know Tuchel loves the ball.
Pass. Move. It happens again. 😍
Only 16 of our 8️⃣2️⃣0️⃣ completed passes last night! 👏 pic.twitter.com/U8a4GGELz4
– Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) January 28, 2021
Has favorites but no naughty steps
Tuchel admitted that the team he selected to play against the Lobos was “unfair” and it was chosen based on experience more than anything else. While the media was quick to suggest that the lineup was an indication of his desire to sacrifice the children and the camera stayed on Mason Mount in the stands, reports suggest that Tuchel has gone to great lengths to make the entire team feel included.
He made sure to speak to all the players individually in that first training session, particularly those like Mount, Tammy Abraham and Reece James, who were hoping to start the game. Since then he has hailed the “personality” of Mount and conceited Billy Gilmour.
He has made no secret of his love for Kante, whom he tried to sign for PSG on more than one occasion, and has a link with Christian Pulisic after he gave the American his debut for Borussia Dortmund. But unlike Lampard, who threw Marcos Alonso to the mischievous stride and allegedly ignored some while lavishing others with praise, Tuchel seems keen to keep the entire team together rather than allow individuals to break apart and clique.
The scrutiny will be through the roof
Tuchel is in a difficult position. He is still being asked about a title challenge, which, as he rightly put it, is now “unrealistic,” but gives an indication of the scrutiny he will be under immediately.
While the media claimed that Abramovich had “He shot Bambi” and Lampard’s apologists, abundant in experts in particular, were perplexed, even angry that Lampard had not been given more time despite a number of very good reasons why he hadn’t, the clock “was already ticking. at Stamford Bridge “after one o’clock draw under Tuchel.
If you put sentimentality aside, it makes a lot more sense to give Tuchel time than Lampard. But the immediate signs, unsurprisingly, suggest that it will be given far less headroom than its predecessor in possibly more difficult circumstances.
Although the team is better than the one that took over from Lampard, many of the players are devoid of all confidence, he has very little time to put his stamp on the team and has to deal with the chaos of a mid-game-packed pandemic season. . . And more importantly, it is not Lampard, whose coaching legacy will undoubtedly improve the more we forget.
Fortunately, “he is not afraid”.
Will ford is on twitter
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