Thomas Tuchel to take over as Chelsea coach: 5 things he needs to fix at Stamford Bridge
Tuchel has a massive mountain to climb with Chelsea - and there's lots that need addressing
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| Thomas Tuchel is set to take over at Chelsea following the sacking of Frank Lampard |
It's not often for a manager to win 3-1 and then to lose his job - but then again this is Chelsea. It echoes memories of Maurizio Sarri's sacking after a 4-1 win over Arsenal in the Europa League final before leaving to manager Juventus. Antonio Conte winning the premier league and the fa cup before getting the sack.
There has been no sentiment spared for Lampard who had hoped he would have been in a job for a little bit longer. In walks Thomas Tuchel , fresh from his stint at Paris-St-Germain for whom he secured two league titles, reached the final of the champions league and if rumours are true fell out with his bosses after achieving the same feat with Borussia Dortmund.
This may be rather interesting and not just for the drama behind the scenes. Chelsea are very well stocked as a team across the pitch however, they have not been firing. This may well be a case of de ja vu for Thomas Tuchel who walked into the same scenario in Paris: and for a manager who is tactically-flexible and astute there are numbers of extremely interesting solutions he could provide.
However, first and foremost he has come conundrums to solve
1) Get Timo Werner firing
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| Tuchel will look to get under-performing striker Timo Werner firing again |
Against Luton Town in the FA Cup last weekend Timo Werner had his penalty saved. Upon missing the penalty Werner grabbed the collar of his shirt and ripped it off in sheer frustration.
It is no surprise that the German has looked a rather frustrated figure during his time in West London. Despite grabbing a goal every now and then, he has been unable to find any form of consistency either on the left wing or up front.
Equally, you would argue that Werner has been unlucky. With no one hitting the post more often this season than the German and given the state of Chelsea's entire side, it would be a challenge for anyone to impress on a consistent basis. Werner will hope that Tuchel plays a side which plays to his key strength of running into space and combining with other forwards.
2) Find the best position for Kai Havertz
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| A dilemma for Tuchel will be to find the best position for record signing Kai Havertz |
You almost feel that Kai Havertz has become a shadow of his own versatility; the proven ability to put in a shift from almost any position in the midfield means he has been unable to nail down a regular place under Lampard.
The German who broke Chelsea's transfer record is suffering in the current situation. Given the amount invested in him by Chelsea, a priority for Tuchel is to get a good run out of form out of Havertz. The ideal start would be for Tuchel to find a consistent place for Havertz in the squad.
Havertz's is very athletic, very physical and skilled at making late runs into the box; his output delivered is superb but he isn't a footballer who is easy on the eye to watch. Tuchel needs to adjust to a style which accommodates such talent in order to bring the best out of him.
If he is not able to do this, Chelsea's fans could potentially use him as a scapegoat to the teams bad form. A key saving grace for Lampard's demise has been Havertz's emergence from the other side without facing much criticism.
3) Find a stable midfield
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| Tuchel will need to address the issue of assembling a stable midfield |
Out of Jorginho, Kante, Mount, Gilmour and Havertz. Which three do you pick in the midfield? Do you go for a double pivot? Maurizio Sarri nailed his colours to a mast which was unpopular; Lampard appeared to want to sort the attack out first and his midfield second.
When Tuchel first walked into PSG, he faced a similar problem, with only Marco Verratti being the only obvious choice in the middle. He deployed Angel Di Maria and Julian Draxler as advanced midfield players, brought in the likes of Ander Herrera and Idrissa Gueye to stabilize and managed to deliver solutions to any problems he faced.
Tuchel will need to decide who fits the No.6, No.8 and No10 roles . Stability is required in order for Chelsea to move in a forward direction; the Blues at least have a manager who has a proven track record of rotating players in roles which suit them, though.
4) Select a first-choice striker
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| Tuchel needs to decide on a regular first choice striker out of Giroud, Abraham or Werner |
Strikers Olivier Giroud, Tammy Abraham and Timo Werner all vying to start for Chelsea this season, with rumours of Erling Haaland being linked with a move to Stamford Bridge in the summer.
It would appear that no one has really stepped up for the No.9 position ever since the departure of Diego Costa. Chelsea's current crop of strikers all have potential up top to perform for Tuchel however, making a decision on a first-choice striker who compliments the other players around them will be the key.
Giroud is a target man who Werner could possibly work off , even though Abraham's whole game appears to be stronger. Werner has struggled playing as a lone striker for both club and country, while Kai Havertz has even been deployed as a striker whilst at Bayern Leverkusen, providing a strong aerial threat as well as good movement in and around the area.
Each striker has their own benefits. However, it will be up to Tuchel to decide- until, a bid is made for Haaland.
5) Continue with Youth Development
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| Tuchel will need to continue developing the likes of Reece James and Callum Hudson-Odoi |
Frank Lampard was quoted saying in the summer "I didn't want Chelsea to become a 'academy club', because the stories you hear are great for five minutes and the debuts you hand out are very nice" "but then it moves quickly to where you find people asking you 'can you start winning games now"?
Whether you agree or disagree there is no doubt that Chelsea have a phenomenal academy. Mason mount without question has been Chelsea's standout player this season. Callum Hudson-Odoi has the potential to reach a world class ceiling. Recce James has managed to dislodge Cesar Azpiliqueta. Chelsea currently have unearthed lots of regional gems coming through; Tuchel would to well to harness and nurture them.
In the past Tuchel has worked with world class talent before at Dortmund, not to mention working with Kylian Mbappe at PSG . Tuchel's ability to develop talent to sell on in the near future could well fund the next big signing for Chelsea.
After all, even if some of Chelsea's youngsters end up not becoming long-term options at Stamford Bridge, the overall consensus is that the hierarchy at Chelsea would like to be more independent without having to rely heavily on Roman Abramovich's financial input.
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