It is no longer news that Thomas Tuchel has won Chelsea their second Champions League trophy. The German showed Pep Guardiola that defeating him in the Premier League and FA Cup semi-finals was no fluke. He did it again in the final of the Europe’s biggest tournament to prove his tactics.
Man City – successful season or not?
Before going into the subject of the write-up, a digression to Man City’s season under Guardiola is necessary. The Spaniard, who was on the verge of winning a quadruple was only able to take two titles out of the four – The Premier League and the Carabao Cup.
City blew many teams away in the Premier League because of their consistency having been recruited to give them their first Champions League trophy, failure to do this essentially means that Guardiola could be termed a failure.
This is because the likes of Manuel Pellegrini and Roberto Mancini recorded the same success. So, lifting his first Champions League as a City manager would have been the icing on the cake.
Tuchel beats Guardiola with masterclass tactics
But Tuchel countering his free-flowing attacking moves with sturdy defending and counter-attacking. This ultimately landed them the Champions League trophy – meaning the former Bayern Munich manager seemed not to have second options on how to break down defenses of teams that had an intention of packing the bus to get results.
Such was the situation last season when Arsenal won the FA Cup after ousting City in the semi-final. All the Gunners did under the tutelage of his former assistant, Mikel Arteta was to counter-attack. They got the needed goals through their two shots on target to secure a final ticket.
These options seemed to be exploited by Tuchel again this season. The German knew that he had no personnel that will ensure such a free-flowing movement of the ball especially in the middle of the pack.
It was a successful season for City that has broken many records with their number of straight wins. But Guardiola needs to deploy a plan b before he can get it completely right.
What’s next for Tuchel at Chelsea?
Back to the subject matter, Tuchel could begin next season with success at the Fifa club world cup and UEFA Super Cup. Winning two huge titles for Chelsea before the season commences will be a huge boost to the squad.
But the question on the minds of many Chelsea fans is the strikers that can land the goodies for the Blues. Chelsea’s attacking line-up boasts of Timo Werner, Olivier Giroud, Tammy Abraham, and Michy Batshuayi. These lads failed to impress last season.
Although Giroud and Abraham have been playing a bit part role, they have not been able to replicate the previous season form for the Blues whilst they were under a transfer embargo. So, Tuchel needs at least a goal poacher that can guarantee him 30 goals a season to fight for titles. Although Chelsea has unilaterally activated the further one-year option on Giroud’s contract, the striker seemed ready to leave the Blues for AC Milan.
Chelsea’s back five
In the goalkeeping department, Edouard Mendy has brought stability. The likes of Thiago Silva and César Azpilicueta seem to have passed their prime. César can still be relied on as the Spaniard can play across the defense line.
Giving Kourt Zouma and Andreas Christensen, who will be playing for their countries at the Euros more game time could bring the stability they need in defense. James Reece seems to have made the right-back his own while Alonso could return as the left-back next season. The left-back has picked up his form since the appointment of Tuchel. Since Fikayo Tomori is ready to stay permanently in Milan, Tuchel could bring in a backup.
Cheleas’s midfield and attack
In the middle of the pack, Christian Pulisic needs to be in the starting line up alongside Mason Mount and N’Golo Kante. The American can also be pushed to the side so that the lineup can accommodate Jorghino while Hakim Ziyech and a goal poacher could continue wreaking havoc in the final third. Meanwhile, the Moroccan could be sold by Tuchel. He seems not to be in his plan.
Now that Romelu Lukaku has ruled out a return to the club, the onus lies on the German tactician to provide the solution to the striking department. They are also likely to sell Batshuayi.
Meanwhile, Chelsea has been linked with Erling Haaland, who appears to favour a move to the club than Manchester City. The young Norwegian striker belief Tuchel would bring the best out of him if he moves to the Stamford Bridge. But the question would be if Chelsea would be willing to cough out over a 100 million pounds for him?
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Apart from those mentioned, having a bench with players that can change the game once things get hard would be interesting for the Blues when they begin the defense of their Champions League title.
Come next season, it won’t be business as usual. That is what Tuchel needs to know to be successful at Chelsea.
