Ther German has led Chelsea to their first Champions League final since 2012 over the course of a remarkable four months in charge after taking over from Frank Lampard.
Chelsea
boss Thomas Tuchel has
unearthed an undroppable star as the Blues prepare for their Champions League final against
Manchester City at the end of the month.
Tuchel’s
side defeated La Liga giants Real Madrid in the semi-finals to
reach the showpiece event for the first time since 2012.
It
was the latest high point in what has been a remarkable four months under
Tuchel, who took over from Frank Lampard in the middle of January.
The
Blues have lost just two games in that time to return to top four contentions,
with Chelsea’s stubborn defence at the heart of their success.
One
of the key members of that defence has been Antonio Rudiger, who has been a
virtual ever-present under Tuchel.
Remarkably,
since Tuchel took over, Chelsea are yet to lose when Rudiger starts as part of
the three-man defence that the German boss has utilised.
Both
of their losses since Tuchel’s appointment have come when Rudiger has been out
of the team, with the defender helping his side keep 15 clean sheets since
Lampard’s departure. Rudiger’s status as an undroppable for the Champions
League final becomes ever clearer when taking a closer look at Chelsea’s
results this season.
In
the 19 Premier League games that Rudiger has not started this campaign, the
Blues have conceded 26 goals, a rate of 1.4 per game.
By
contrast, in the 17 games that the German has started in the league this
season, Chelsea have conceded just seven times, a rate of 0.4 per game. Rudiger
has been left out of two of Chelsea’s last three top-flight matches, with
Tuchel looking to rest the defender ahead of a defining end to the season. He
had fallen out of favour under Lampard but now appears to be one of the first
names on the teamsheet under the English manager’s replacement.
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