All eyes on new Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel as he takes charge of debut game against Wolves
It’s a new dawn at Chelsea. The Blues fired Frank Lampard from the dugout on Monday and announced Thomas Tuchel as his replacement barely 24 hours later.
The hashtag #WelcomeTuchel has been trending on Twitter since the appointment, and the German tactician has stated that he cannot wait to get started at Stamford Bridge.
He told Chelseafc.com:
"I would like to thank Chelsea FC for their confidence in me and my staff. We all have the greatest respect for Frank Lampard’s work and the legacy he created at Chelsea.
“At the same time, I cannot wait to meet my new team and compete in the most exciting league in football. I am grateful to now be part of the Chelsea family - it feels amazing!"
Pictures of Thomas Tuchel taking charge of his first training session at Cobham have already hit social media,. However, the real work will start when he leads Chelsea out against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Wednesday evening.
Straight to work for Thomas Tuchel as Wolves await Chelsea in the Premier League
Thomas Tuchel was appointed on the back of Chelsea’s poor run of form in the Premier League. The Blues have won just two of their last eight league games despite making a bright start to the season.
Chelsea’s recent slump has seen them drop to ninth on the Premier League table, a position that Tuchel will aim to change in the coming weeks.
The 47-year-old will, however, be given a baptism of fire when he leads the Blues out against Wolves. Interestingly, Wolves were one of the teams that beat the west London giants during their poor run, which culminated in Lampard’s dismissal.
Thomas Tuchel has been at Chelsea for barely a day and has only overseen a single training session. However, there’ll be no excuse for him on Wednesday.
He is a man who has enjoyed considerable success at Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-German, so he has a record to fall back on.
The former PSG boss will ultimately be judged by results, and it will be great if he can start his tenure at Chelsea with a win.
All eyes on Thomas Tuchel’s Premier League debut
Many will be watching to see how Thomas Tuchel fares in his debut game in charge. For a manager who’s new to the Premier League, it remains to be seen which style of play he’ll deploy.
Lampard’s ill-fated tenure saw him fail to get the best out of Kai Havertz, Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech, Christian Pulisic and other talented players at the club.
It will, therefore, be interesting to see which line-up Tuchel picks for the game against Wolves. Chelsea have been used to the 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3 formations over the last few years, but their new manager may have other ideas.
The German manager is widely touted as a man who is fixated with tactics and reportedly once ordered his players to train with tennis balls just to teach them how to cover tight spaces.
Chelsea have undoubtedly gotten themselves an experienced manager, but it remains to be seen how he’ll drive the club. His first game in charge, though, will give everyone a fair idea of what he brings to the table.