I am just a fan trying to talk about Chelsea’s woeful form.
Now first things first I know this coaching thing is not as easy as we see it but honestly I blame Tuchel for this run of bad form.
When Tuchel came initially, he was able to make a Chelsea team that was really efficient, so efficient it won the Champions League, against all odds beating a very good Manchester City team, reached the finals of the FA Cup beating the same Manchester City in the semis. He went further to clinch the UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup in under a year. Now these feats were near impossible if not actually impossible at that time cause he was a new coach with new tactics and playing ideas and everyone thought it would take some time for the team to gel but to everyone’s surprise, it worked well pretty fast. Chelsea reached the finals of both FA Cup and Carabao Cup last season, losing by close margins in all competitions to Liverpool, at the end, Chelsea finished in the top four and sealed off the season with a fairly good result and if not for injuries at very critical times and with a congested match schedule through out last season they would have well and truly contended for the Premiere League, not mentioning crashing out painfully out in Champions League quarter-finals after losing to Real Madrid whom they beat in the latter season to reach the finals of the competition.
Now coming into the new 2022/23 season and despite a “not so good” pre season, hopes were really high that Chelsea would be better, with a new owner that was dedicated to supporting the team’s success and a host of really good players targeted to bolster the squad but just a month into the new season and the future is looking bleak for the club. Now just as I said earlier, this coaching job especially at a big club like Chelsea is no easy task but still I think if only Tuchel will change his system of play there’d be a real difference and here are some ways I think will be right steps in the right direction.
Firstly, Chelsea currently play focusing much of the attack on the wings which is no bad tactic at all given the good players we have in the wings just a stint of bad form holding some of the players from their full best but the thing is, the environment and condition at which Tuchel came in at first is not the same as now. The tactics of playing on the wings at first was working very efficiently and everyone saw that. Now with the host of amazing coaches in English Premier League, you would expect that they would come up with a way to cripple the style in which Chelsea play and unfortunately I think they have. When you clip Chelsea’s wings that’s all, minimal or no creativity, no chance created, the attackers are frustrated and the game is just boring really. Now the idea of playing it down the wings and focusing the attack there is not a bad tactic at all, actually if you can use it to its fullest potential, the result will be excellent. We can see such in a team like Liverpool. They have players with a lot of pace and quality on the wings and they use that to their advantage but there’s a difference, and that difference is what will take me to my next point.
Just as I said, there’s a difference to the way Liverpool play and that difference is the connection of the midfield with the attack. When you look at Chelsea’s game currently there is little or no connection between the midfield with the attack. All attacking balls go from the midfield to the wing then to attack, which as I pointed out earlier is not a bad idea but what happens when the wings are clipped, when the opposition team moves plenty bodies to ensure that they block the ball on the wing from reaching the attack, you know what happens? They move the ball back to midfield and they switch to another wing and when the opposition does the same thing as they did, the ball goes back to the midfield again and they go again, over and over, again and again until they somehow find a way which in turn makes the game boring. Now the difference I talked about with Liverpool is that there is a connection between midfield and attack. When you block the wings, they turn to the midfield to “create” the chances, open up the spaces right up in attack. Check Chelsea’s game, a player will make a run in the opposition defence and there would be a clear passing route but no, they take the ball to the wings, no forward direct passes to the attack at all in Chelsea’s game, at all!.
Furthermore, I would suggest a switch in formation from the (3-4-2-1) that they currently use to a balanced (4-3-3). Now I know someone would say this current formation is almost identical to the one Antonio Conte used to win the PL title and yes there is some point in that but check there was a difference. Now Conte had a master personnel in midfield like Fabregas and Conte used him to the fullest. When the wings were overloaded with markers they bring the ball back in midfield, the midfielders would make a string of passes that would eventually break the opposition defensive line and boom, chance created or when a player makes a move in the opposition defence, a forward direct pass would be made. He was using the (3-4-3) formation, almost identical to the one Tuchel is using but what sets them apart is the use of the midfield and connection of the midfield with attack. Honestly, Tuchel in this way is not bringing out the best in the midfielders we have right now and truly we have a host of amazing midfielders in Chelsea but they are not used right. You see Mount and Havertz playing in the wings really isn’t helpful or bearing any fruit up front at all and Tuchel is guilty of playing them out of position. No wonder why Jorghino would finish a game with hundreds of passes and no assist, not even one. Take a look at Manchester City, at the end of the season you would have 3-4 of their midfielders on the assists ranking that is because there is a very very firm connection between the midfielders and strikers, probably the best in the EPL. Chelsea can boast of having some of the best midfielders in the EPL but the results they bring to the table are far, very far from satisfactory.
In conclusion, just as I said, coaching is tough and it’s quite unfortunate he was sacked before he could turn the tides around but then wishing him good luck in his next adventure and also good luck to Chelsea Football Club in their search for his replacement
Galadima Isaac
Boltianfootball 