Matthew Law, a prominent reporter for the Daily Telegraph, has written a new op-ed titled Thomas Tuchel's year at Chelsea: G&Ts in Porto, a showdown at Spurs and planning for the future
It's a wrap-up article about Tuchel taking over as Chelsea, and Matt Law divides Tuchel's efforts over the past year into four distinct aspects, with some untold insiders revealed in each paragraph.
(The following is an excerpt from the column)
In September 2021, Tuchel's honeymoon as Chelsea manager came to an official end in the luxurious dressing room of Tottenham Hotspur's £1 billion new stadium. During his seven months or so at the helm of Chelsea, Tuchel has been frustrated with some specific performances, but his patience has been good until the game against Tottenham Hotspur officially ran out. In that game, his team fought hard for 45 minutes without scoring.
Tuchel is very angry and thinks he needs to let the players know about this. One source said: "He was very loud and shocking in the dressing room at the time, but it was all not aimed at anyone, it was all about the team. Tuchel vibrated and told them what they had done and what they hadn't done. You could say it was the first b-----g he gave them. ”
After that game Tuchel even said: "Emm, this is the first time I've been mad like this. "But at least it worked well, with Chelsea taking the lead in the second half and winning 3-0.
There was another similar incident in early December, when Chelsea were lucky enough to beat Watford. But overall, Tuchel has been careful to pick the right timing before getting angry with his players.
Matt Law mentions at the end of the first part that Tuchel's first hangover at Chelsea was a moment of celebration at Porto, as well as a pleasant exchange with Abramovich. But his next hangover could be to decide whether he will stay at Chelsea again or say goodbye that is not so long.
The second part is about Chelsea's choice of Tuchel, whose three options were Lonnick, Nagelsmann and Tuchel, whose temper led to him being the least popular of the three options.
In hiring Tuchel, Cech, who was fluent in German, played a considerable role, alleviating Tuchel's concern that Chelsea would only give a 1-and-a-half-year contract. Now, Tuchel wants people to understand more about his and his team's woes, with COVID-19, injuries and a heavy schedule dragging down the team, and he wants more time.
The subtitle of the third part is —The Lukaku situation was easier to handle with an intelligent coach
Tuchel's coaching in Paris is probably the least football club in European football, and he himself doesn't think coaching the so-called Galaxy is for him. If he doesn't succeed at Stamford Bridge, those close to the 48-year-old manager believe he will be ready to stay away from his grand ideals and spend the rest of his coaching career at Bayer Leverkusen.
Previously only West Ham and Newcastle were interested in him, but now if he leaves Stamford Bridge, all the top clubs in Europe want Tuchel.
Tuchel and his own coaching staff were able to quickly mingle with Chelsea's players and other staff members as the most popular and surprising feature of his first 12 months at Chelsea, with much more mutual friendship than arguments in the process of getting along within the team. In the process of communication between players and staff, Tuchel is also willing to communicate sincerely with others in a friendly manner.
While things aren't always that fun, Tuchel's bargaining prowess has struck long-time Chelsea staff, who can solve even the smallest of issues. However, we may find that some issues may simply be shelved rather than completely resolved.
After being beaten by West Brom last season, Kepa and Rudiger clashed on the training ground, but Tuchel did not overreact, but made a big deal out of it and quickly resolved it.
Backed by Chelsea press spokesman Adrian Phillips, Tuchel's approach to the media was open and honest, explaining in detail his decisions, his players and even more nuanced issues. Such as Rudiger's quarrel, Hudson-Odoi's decision to refuse England's U21 call-up, and Christensen's contract situation.
The Lukaku incident might have left the team truly divided, but thanks to the way Tuchel and management handled it, their relationship has actually become closer – at least in the short term.
A source said: "It may be easier for a smarter coach to handle the Lukaku incident, and it is clear that Tuchel is also this attitude towards management and all parties want to continue to work together." ”
How to get the striker to his best is still a problem, and if the £97.5m signing remains unsustainable, not only will more problems from the media follow, but Lukaku's problems and some of the seeds of discontent that already exist within the team are likely to take root.
While coaching in Paris, Tuchel found that clubs generally see players as assets and coaches as consumables. But it was reported that during his time at Paris Saint-Germain, the high emotional intelligence claim was "broadening his horizons". The events that happened during the Paris period made Lukaku's situation seem more like a petty fight for Tuchel.
The subtitle of the last part is —'I enjoyed it on day one and it's only got better'
Although Tuchel was in a hurry to join Chelsea, the final effect of the tactics he and the coaching staff developed was remarkable. Prior to his first game against Wolves on January 27 last year, Tuchel was delighted to find in the team's first training session a group of players who were adaptable and could make their own decisions without needing to be told when and how to run.
The next stage may be to find a way to switch back to the 4-back system and hone the 4-back system again. Tuchel actually thought about it last season, but switching back to the 4-back system requires some personnel changes.
Those at Chelsea have witnessed many times the internal turmoil or landslides in the squad; some people have a perverse and eccentric personality, and many people's attitudes may also be a double-edged sword. But for Tuchel, the hellish first year has just passed, and the test may only begin now.