Graham Potter would inherit an ideal Chelsea squad from Thomas Tuchel
When Thomas Tuchel was first unveiled as Chelsea manager we were told of his fiery temperament and were warned that things would end explosively, as they had done at Borussia Dortmund.
For all the shock and sympathy around Tuchel’s dismissal, there is an air of inevitability. Things had truly unravelled, perhaps more alarmingly than we had realised.
Reports indicate Tuchel had stopped communicating effectively with his players and had become increasingly tetchy behind the scenes, while his displays in front of the camera – as well as his angry protestations from the dugout – suggests he had lost his way; that change was needed.
Nevertheless it is unusual timing from new chairman Todd Boehly, while Tuchel deserves our sympathy for taking on an extraordinary amount since Chelsea was first plunged into crisis back in March.
He understandably struggled to keep the club stable during the turmoil towards the end of last season (results and performances from that time ought not to be studied too closely) before taking on a far bigger remit under the new regime as the de facto head of scouting.
Tuchel was given more power over transfers than ever before as Chelsea spent a world-record £273 million net on new players, and yet within a week of the window closing he is out the door.
It is this final point that makes the decision seem rushed - and also why his departure is a great shame, because despite winning the Champions League in his first half-season and spending almost two years at Stamford Bridge, the Tuchel era was only just ready to start.
Tuchel’s tactical vision never materialised
Confusion and doubt are classic symptoms of a failing project and, by the end, Tuchel’s Chelsea were in a mess.
He used three different formations in the space of just 45 minutes in the 1-0 defeat to DInamo Zagreb on Tuesday evening, and before that flitted between a 3-4-3, 3-5-2, 4-3-3, and 4-4-2 in Premier League matches. It looked as though the game was up.
But it didn’t have to be that way. Tuchel’s preferred tactical system has always been about verticality and sharp transitional football; he has far less interest in possession than Pep Guardiola, instead deploying a relatively safe midblock from which Chelsea are expected to attack and defend with urgency.
The strange thing is, right up until August 2022 he never quite had the players to enact his vision.
Tuchel is forever screaming at his players to get the ball forward, to turn on the ball and either dribble through the lines or pass in behind the opposition.
It is why he signed Romelu Lukaku, only to find he could not settle into the system, and it is why he used his new powers this summer to bring in Raheem Sterling and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who enjoyed just 60 minutes of reunion with his old Dortmund boss.
Sterling and Aubameyang are players who make things happen, constantly probing away and trying to break the lines rather than delicately weaving or dropping into the ten space – as Mason Mount and Kai Havertz in particular love to do.
Neither player ever felt like a Tuchel disciple, yet they appeared regularly, clogging up the system primarily because there was nobody to stretch Chelsea lengthways or horizontally thanks to the season-length injury to Ben Chilwell that derailed Tuchel’s plans in 2021/22.
He made big mistakes, of course, and there is no caveat for the poor performances at the start of this season.
Chelsea have looked confused, unable to adapt to Tuchel’s demands – or perhaps unwilling to do so, given what we have learnt about the atmosphere in the dressing room. With hindsight, this perhaps explains the bleakness of their 3-0 defeat to Leeds United and 2-1 defeat to Southampton.
Whatever the reasons, and whatever the tactical intention, it is too late now. The Tuchel era is over and, in a way, it never really began.
Potter inherits an almost ideal squad
Appointing Graham Potter is the sort of sensible yet ambitious appointment that should ease any Chelsea supporter’s concerns that Tuchel’s dismissal betrayed inexperience on Boehly’s part.
Potter is an outstanding – perhaps even world-class – tactician who will bring a brand of stylish possession football to Stamford Bridge arguably not seen in the 21st century.
It is hard to summarise Potter’s vision in a few words because of its complexity and flexibility, but watching Brighton it is obvious that he coaches automatisms to a very high level.
The positional play and neat, instinctive triangles at the Amex are Guardiola-like, as are the tactical innovations; just last weekend Brighton beat Leicester City 5-2 with what could be called a 3-1-5-1 with three number tens.
Intelligence, geometric awareness, and the capacity to play elastic one-touch football have defined Brighton’s best performers under Potter, and at Chelsea he will inherit plenty of those.
Matteo Kovacic, N’Golo Kante, Mount, Havertz, Marc Cucurella, Wesley Fofana, Raheem Sterling…the list goes on and on.
Aubameyang is not a good fit, however, and should Potter wish to emulate his Brighton model then he will want a new striker as well as a few more attacking midfielders in the space-invading, press-resistant mould of Moises Caicedo and Enock Mwepu.
However, that is not to say Potter is a guaranteed success.
The Chelsea job will bring a level of scrutiny Potter has not experienced before, and after Boehly’s ruthless decision, it seems unlikely the Brighton manager would be given much time or patience as he looks to install a completely new system of play in the middle of a hectic schedule.
Fortunately Potter’s tendency to play with a back three could ensure quick adaptation, given Tuchel has already laid down some of these foundations and leaves a squad blessed with defensive talent.
Potter could even be in the dugout for Saturday’s game against Fulham, if reports are to be believed, in another sign that Boehly does not waste time.
The new chairman has shown a ruthless and decisive streak that, out of nowhere, has given Potter the once-in-a-lifetime shot at proving he can manage a super-club.
The pressure is on, the conditions unfamiliar, but Potter has the talent to make it work.
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