The Blues have conceded just one goal in six games under their new German coach, with renewed defensive strength in west London.
Andreas Christensen has revealed how Thomas Tuchel started throwing Chelsea’s Frank Lampard approach to make the Blues defensive at the back.
In Germany ‘s first six games at Stamford Bridge, his side was broken just once.
That record is completely different from the one that contributed to its predecessor through the uprisings, with heavy Premier League weights now siding with a defensive unit with three.
What was said?
“If you don’t have to play the ball, you don’t have to,” Christensen told Chelsea official website on the message from Tuchel. “Wait for someone to come and take the ball, don’t make decisions the second time around, know what you’re going to do and make it happen.
“He told us to be comfortable and to believe in ourselves. I’ve played in the middle of the three before and I’m very comfortable there. At this point, when we are playing good football and winning, it helps us to not have to do too much to change. ”
Who scored the same goal against Tuchel’s Chelsea?
Tuchel opened his reign in west London with a goalless draw at home at Wolves. After that stalemate the Premier League won over Burnley and Tottenham, allowing the Blues to start climbing the table.
Chelsea also saw Newcastle last time out, making their way into the FA Cup semi – finals with a narrow win over Barnsley and have regained confidence.
The only time they have surrendered to Tuchel at the helm came when they went on a trip to Sheffield United, and even then they recorded the effort as Antonio Rudiger put through his own net in a 2-1 win.
The bigger picture
Chelsea have found a formula that works, with Tuchel returning to a system that gave Antonio Conte particular success during his time in England.
Stability and endurance were restored in an important area of the field, with several of those who went out under Lampard now welcoming back to the fold.
Marcus Alonso has starred at left-back, Rudiger in a midfield and even Kepa Arrizabalaga is collecting a clean welcome sheet against Newcastle after making a mistake with the season that led to Edouard Mendy replaced.
Christensen added to the Spanish stoppage machine, who was told he is still a backup option at Bridge: “I think he made a good save or two. That can be important for his self-esteem and also for the organization. It was nice to see out there. We felt comfortable, even though we needed twice in the second half. ”