Chelsea produce a statement win against Atletico Madrid
Thomas Tuchel’s fingerprints can be seen all over Chelsea at the moment. The German’s magical touch was certainly felt during Wednesday’s Champions League game against Atletico Madrid at Stamford Bridge.
The 47-year-old did an incredible job at Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain, but it is at Chelsea that his managerial nous is getting truly tested.
So far, Tuchel has done a fabulous job. After winning 1-0 at Atletico Madrid in the last 16 first leg, Chelsea cruised to a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge to complete a 3-0 aggregate win.
Hakim Ziyech’s opening goal was as slick as it could get before substitute Emerson Palmieri sealed Chelsea's win deep in injury time.
Chelsea stars come to the party against Atletico Madrid
For many Chelsea fans, this was one of the team’s most delightful performances of the season. The Frank Lampard era was blighted by massive player underperformances.
While not many Chelsea stars have hit full gear under Tuchel, the game against Atletico Madrid suggests there could be light at the end of the tunnel.
Kai Havertz, Timo Werner and Ziyech started as Chelsea’s front three and were all involved in the opening goal, which was scored by the latter. All three aforementioned players were out of form in recent months, but they all came to the party on Wednesday.
It was also a perfect night for N’Gole Kante and Mateo Kovacic, who put in a tireless shift at the heart of midfield. Most of these players are yet to hit full form, but the future looks promising for Chelsea after their performance against Atletico Madrid.
Chelsea finally rediscover their mojo
It has now been 13 games without defeat under Thomas Tuchel. If anyone thought the German’s bright start to life at Stamford Bridge was a fluke, those perceptions can now be emphatically dismissed.
The biggest improvement of Chelsea under Tuchel is the fact that they are now playing like a team. Gone are the days when they used to play like a disjointed side with no clear identity.
On Wednesday, Chelsea played like a side with a plan, managing to neutralise any threat posed by Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid.
“It was a very good performance,” Tuchel said after the game, as quoted by Chelseafc.com. “We go through, and that was deserved. It was an unbelievable team effort from the guys on the pitch, the guys on the bench and even the guys in the stands! It was a really big win for us and a deserved win. The amount of effort and intensity from the team in both legs was outstanding and incredible. We missed four key players, but everybody else stepped up, so I’m very happy,” said Tuchel.
Thomas Tuchel has made Chelsea very resilient and difficult to beat. They are indeed one of the form teams in Europe at the moment, and it’ll take something special for any team to beat the resurgent Blues.