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Those who regretted the decision to fire Frank Lampard said that all he needed was time. It took Thomas Tuchel just one day to make a difference in Chelsea’s style of play.
Six weeks after his appointment he has them back in the top four in the Premier League and seems like the best bet to compete with Manchester City in the long run.
Beating Liverpool at Anfield might not be the feat it once was, but this was a supremely controlled performance by Chelsea and a well deserved victory. Mason Mount’s excellent goal came in the first half. The equalizer never really looked like it was.
“Liverpool created very little in the 90 minutes,” Jamie Carragher said in commentary for Sky sports. Back in the studio, Ashley Cole was impressed too. “One of the best performances I’ve seen from Chelsea in terms of playing from behind.”
Tuchel himself was delighted.
“We needed to show courage if we wanted to escape the pressure and we did it excellently. We were strong in our transition game, we were strong defending and winning second balls and countering. It was a very, very good team performance.”
4:07
Tuchel said Chelsea fully deserved their win against Liverpool
It was a key match to hand him over because Liverpool could have beaten Chelsea with a win. Everton and West Ham still can if they win their hand games. With this evidence, Chelsea can go after those above them instead of worrying about those below.
The quality of this expensive piece of equipment could never be denied. As a result, it’s tempting to see Timo Werner wreak havoc on Liverpool’s top line or N’Golo Kante by turning off the danger in midfield to suggest that this resurgence was inevitable.
But Chelsea had lacked direction, having lost five of their previous eight Premier League games when Tuchel arrived. They were tenth in the table in the middle of the season when he came out at Stamford Bridge for his first game in charge.
The transformation has been remarkable.
This team was one in search of its own style, a distinctive identity. It came up instantly when Chelsea broke their Premier League pass record in those first 45 minutes against Wolves. A new line-up was introduced and has been maintained, also providing much-needed clarity.
2:56
FREE TO SEE: Highlights from Chelsea’s win against Liverpool
The team’s defensive problems have been emphatically resolved. Chelsea are not only undefeated in their eight Premier League games with Tuchel – 10 in all competitions – they have only conceded two goals in that time. Suddenly they look rock solid in the back.
A reminder that this record has been held despite the loss to injury of Chelsea’s most experienced defender, and perhaps the player Tuchel knew best from their time together at Paris Saint-Germain, in Thiago Silva. They barely missed a beat.
Andreas Christensen, a player who many had dismissed as not being good enough to succeed in the Chelsea jersey, has been a revelation in recent matches. After completing his 73 passes against Manchester United at the weekend, he was even better against Liverpool.
The Dane’s calm distribution has been important in helping Chelsea maintain their passing game even when it was difficult. Liverpool are famous for their ability to gain possession in the last third of the field, but failed to generate real pressure.
1:16
Jamie Redknapp and Ashley Cole believe Mason Mount is Chelsea’s best player
While the defensive platform has been established, the attack pattern may take a little longer to perfect; there’s more to come from this Chelsea team in the final third when it flows freely.
But fears that Mount’s progress will be stifled by Lampard’s departure, exacerbated when Tuchel omitted him from his first lineup, are already proving unfounded. Indeed, there is already reason to believe that, playing into those pockets, its development will continue.
3:11
Mason Mount explained his winning goal celebration against Liverpool
Werner missed his goal at Anfield, but he was close and fans will appreciate the logic of his selection, even Jurgen Klopp pointed out that his compatriot had been included to expose Liverpool’s high line. Perhaps Olivier Giroud will return to the starting lineup when Chelsea need to break through a deeper defense.
It makes sense.
Everything is starting to make sense now and that’s a big credit to Tuchel. The decision to resort to him has already been vindicated.
It is making a difference.
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Jamie Carragher and Jamie Redknapp discuss Chelsea’s change of course
When asked how he has done it so quickly, he preferred to put the emphasis on the effort of those in the field.
“I don’t know, but I feel a big part of this club, in fact, from the first moments. We put in a lot of effort and try to help. When the team shows its quality, it is a game of players.”
It quickly became apparent that those players were crying out for a coach like Thomas Tuchel.
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