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Chelsea’s first act of the season saw him take 22 points from 11 games to accelerate premature talk of a title challenge. Seven in the eight games of the second act cost Frank Lampard his job. 13 out of five after Thomas Tuchel’s appointment offers hope that Act 3 could be something really special.
The setup, as was the case when Chelsea won the title with Antonio Conte, means that goals can only really be conceded through the genius of the opposition or defensive error. When Chelsea lose the ball in transition, which would cause a blind panic under Lampard, Jorginho or Mateo Kovacic, who are rarely in front of the ball, or one of the three center-backs, they easily eliminate it.
Out of possession, when under sustained pressure (which never really came against Newcastle), that defensive five turns into a backward seven when the wingers drop, while the two numbers out of ten buzz putting pressure on the ball carrier.
As Gary Neville said before kick-off, the players have “pushed” Tuchel to opt for this system. For a team where no two center-backs are solid enough to make a two a reliable option, Ben Chilwell, Marcos Alonso, Reece James and Callum Hudson-Odoi are much more comfortable going forward than backward. , in which most of your attacking players are set up to play those ten-divided positions, this is a system that just works. And the question arises: did Chelsea ever Really work with Lampard?
Sometimes it was more fluid; perhaps more entertaining, but each performance was underlying a sense of impending chaos, which could permeate at any moment. Lack of “ game management ” was one of Lampard’s complaints in post-match exasperations – this feeling that regardless of their dominance, the moment Chelsea gave a team an inch, they would take a mile and points along with it.
In Tuchel’s six games in charge, he has only conceded one goal. They look so comfortable with the system and how they all fit into that system. The concern, if there is one, is that they only scored eight in those five games.
“Little precision in the last decision,” was Tuchel’s poetic assessment after the game. And there were many occasions against Newcastle where the last pass, the decision to shoot or the shot itself was not entirely correct. That is something that will take time to improve and integrate into the training ground. But the attacking players are undoubtedly now being led by their coach, who was not under Lampard’s carefree attitude towards forward play.
Timo Werner is the best example of this supervision in action. Stuck on the wing for much of his time under Lampard, who was desperate to use his rhythm but never managed to exploit it, Werner was easily picked up off the side or side and frustratingly spent much of his time on his back. to the goal with little hope of using his skills to good effect.
But as a reversed winger, with Marcos Alonso as a winger, Werner can occupy a position on the inside, behind the opposing midfield, or he can move further than Alonso. From there, as was presumably Lampard’s motive, he can get to the side, either cut in and shoot or beat him on the outside and deliver, as he did in Chelsea’s opener.
The key to the new role is its changing nature during the game, which means that it is not clear whose responsibility it is, which means that it is much more difficult to mark; more time to turn in possession and more room to enter from behind.
His performance against Newcastle was nothing particularly special, he should have scored at least one in addition to his five-yard tap-in, but the point is that he is there to take advantage of it, he is in position to run towards the defenders, he is running behind. . Under Lampard they told him to express himself, under Tuchel they told him how to express himself.
Premier League Fortune Teller: “By mid-February you’ll be two points behind Liverpool.”
Chelsea: “fucking brilliant.”
Guess: “You’ll also be tied on points with West Ham.”
Chelsea: “Shit.”
– Will Ford (@ willfordy25) February 15, 2021
Chelsea are two points ahead of Liverpool in mid-February, but tied on points with West Ham. It’s one of the many delightful eccentricities that could be used to describe this strange season, in which Chelsea have brought their fair share of quirks. But currently they seem like a team immune to him. They are well organized, incredibly difficult to break, with the potential to be far more powerful in attack than they currently are. Act three could be really special.
Will ford is on twitter
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