As Chelsea’s undefeated run under Thomas Tuchel stretches to 13 games in all competitions, the thought is starting to build up that Chelsea could do what it did in 2012, when it won the Champions League title. after changing their mid-season manager. A 2-0 win against Atlético Madrid on Wednesday not only secured an overall 3-0 win and progress to the quarterfinals, but it also provided insights into how good this Chelsea side could be.
Since Tuchel replaced Frank Lampard at the end of January, Chelsea’s form has improved dramatically. There has been an improved defensive structure, and that has been the basis of the boost in form, as it has been admitted just twice in those 13 matches. Criticism has been based on a lack of imagination or creativity, but every now and then just the gloss of something begins to build.
But other than that, a number of players who didn’t really do under Lampard have started to get excited, most notably Timo Werner and Kai Havertz. Harry Redknapp, Lampard’s uncle, saw interestingly on the radio the day after Lampard’s dismissal that he did not “sign the Germans.” The pair arrived in the summer for the combined $ 160 million, and a desire to get the most out of them was at least partly behind the decision to hire Tuchel, a German coach with a modern German style. can communicate with them in German.
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Havertz is still only 21 and suffered a COVID-19 shortly after his arrival, which probably explains his slow start. Werner’s struggle for form was not so easy to explain. He’s 25 and more experienced, but the realization was that Lampard had no real idea how to use it. His confidence plummeted, and that was a clear flaw in Lampard ‘s rule: several players, after a sticky run, found their form declining, and apparently was unable to Lampard picked them up again.
Werner has yet to score a goal at the level he did in Germany, but his career in a deceptive nine position here allowed him to make those runs through a left-back position that marked his goal. played for RB Leipzig. But more than that, he plays with an energy and enthusiasm that was almost abandoned before Christmas.
Three players from the $ 300 million summer signing slump came together for the counter that Chelsea put on Wednesday and doubled the overall lead. Werner put a half-cross on Kieran Trippier’s cross, allowing N’Golo Kanté to intervene. Havertz then fed Werner as he surrendered forward and measured a low cross to turn Hakim Ziyech with a low side end.
What was amazing was how fast it was. That’s down not only to Werner’s pace, but also the pace of thinking, the expectation of everyone in the movement. That’s what a well-structured side looks like. That level of slickness can only come from drilling back in training.
The two German signs are not the only ones erected since Tuchel’s arrival. Marcos Alonso, apparently on the crossbar, seems to have now eliminated Ben Chilwell from the left-back first choice. Antonio Rüdiger was excellent again. But Wednesday’s most important figure was Kanté.
The French international was heavily involved in Leicester’s league victory and Chelsea’s title under Antonio Conte, but he went under Maurizio Sarri as he was played out of position and never got the form. his back under Lampard, perhaps partly because he was tossed by a French court case complex over his image rights. But the last few weeks have been back as well. Wednesday it was elegant, always in the right place, closing holes, beating Atlético.
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The La Liga mobile leader was poor again, although he inquired about a penalty that could have been denied just before the half-hour mark, as César Azpilicueta gave birth, panicking after a few sub- hitting a backhand, at Yannick Carrasco. The Belgian suddenly fell apart after a bit of contact, but that doesn’t change the fact that Azpilicueta had a short grip on his shirt.
One João Félix photo was shot late on that which was released just near Azpilicueta, with an injury saved by Edouard Mendy denying Portugal’s talent, but other than that, his threat was well limited. Chelsea’s win was effectively proved by the fact that Stefan Savic was sent off for an elbow on Rüdiger, a sign of both Atlético’s incompetence and frustration. Emerson Palmeri then ended the win with another counter started by Kanté, with Christian Pulisic making the most of his time off the bench by handing out the assist.
There are few direct parallels to be drawn from the move from Andre Villas-Boas to Roberto Di Matteo in March 2012 (when Lampard was a Chelsea midfielder) and the trade from Lampard to Tuchel in January 2021, but one is glaring in one: Chelsea are suddenly looking like a dangerous and capable side.