Thomas Tuchel
and Chelsea have progressed to the semi-finals of the Champions League on
Tuesday night.
Chelsea progressed to the final four of the Champions League on
Tuesday night despite losing 1-0 against Porto in Spain, but two Blues stars
will be fearful for their futures after the game.
Chelsea will now face either Real Madrid or Liverpool for a
spot in the Champions League final.
Just a few months ago, with the team struggling in the
Premier League and with a daunting tie against La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid
in the pipeline, that feat seemed a fantasy.
Thomas
Tuchel wasted little time in deciding who he did and didn’t want in his plans
after taking over from sacked Frank Lampard, and has made quite a strong
impact.
The German head coach has lost
just once in his opening 18 games in the job, with that defeat coming against
West Brom in a stunning encounter in the league.
Tuchel seems to have the
blueprint in place for a successful Chelsea side, with Kai Havertz leading the
line – until the summer, at least.
A move for Erling Haaland may
alter those plans and see Havertz drop to a different position, but it
certainly seems that, for now, Tuchel is intent on playing with a false nine.
In order to use that tactic
effectively, as he did against Porto on Tuesday, he needs two quick inside
forwards and two holding midfielders, with a pair of wing-backs getting
forward.
There were always going to be
casualties of Chelsea’s £250million transfer spending spree from 2020, with
Tammy Abraham and Olivier Giroud in particular struggling for minutes.
But few could have predicted
that two of their new acquisitions – Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech, would end up
being the forgotten men at Stamford Bridge? A five-minute cameo with
the result already secured was all Ziyech had to show from his trip to Spain.
Werner didn’t even make it off the bench.
Ziyech clearly plays best as
either a number ten or wide attacker, predominantly in a 4-2-3-1 formation
where he can get forward without having to worry too much about getting back.
And Werner thrives as a
centre-forward playing on the last defender, using his explosive speed to
attack the space left behind in a high press.
However, with Chelsea playing
as well as they are in this current system, those two in particular are at real
risk of falling by the wayside.
If Haaland arrives this summer,
and all signs point to a massive bid from the free-spending Blues, that system
will likely change again.
But if it does, there will once
again be casualties of the system. Mason Mount and Christian Pulisic are
enjoying playing as inside forwards, with the freedom to attack and get into
spaces left by Havertz’s free movement.
While Haaland would virtually
guarantee goals, he could well impact the way Mount and Pulisic are able to
play.
It seems however you slice it,
Tuchel will have some big-name players out of favour next season, whether he
continues with the current system or changes it.
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