"Something's just not right" - Jamie O'Hara believes Abramovich won't hesitate to pull the plug on Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel if things continue to go south
Former Premier League midfielder Jamie O'Hara thinks Thomas Tuchel's job at Chelsea could be on the line, following a string of indifferent results. O'Hara said that the club's owner Roman Abramovich might not hesitate to part ways with Tuchel if the Blues' poor run of form continues.
Chelsea played out a disappointing 1-1 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium on Tuesday in the Premier League. The Blues were coming off a 1-0 defeat to Manchester City on Saturday.
The Blues have won just once in their last seven games in the Premier League. Tuchel's side are currently 12 points behind league leaders Manchester City, who have a game in hand. The former Borussia Dortmund manager could be sacked if he's unable to turn around the fortunes of the Blues.
"When Tuchel came in, they won the Champions League and going into this season, they looked like a proper side. Trying to break Chelsea down was almost impossible. You didn't score against them," O'Hara told talkSPORT.
"Lukaku at the start of the season was scoring goals; he was flying, and you're thinking, 'This Chelsea side looks dangerous'. All of a sudden, since that interview, I know they've had some injuries as well, but they just don't look the same team. Something's just not right. You know what Roman Abramovich is like with managers. If he sees it going south, he'll change it quickly."
The former player added:
“If he thinks it’s going in the wrong direction, he will get rid of you. He’s done it before, and he will do it again.”
Manchester City dominated proceedings against Chelsea on Saturday in their 1-0 victory. Tuchel's side struggled to create goalscoring opportunities in that game. They were also unable to break down Brighton during their 1-1 draw with Graham Potter's side a few days later.
Chelsea now face a tricky test against Antonio Conte's Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday at Stamford Bridge. Tottenham have won three and drawn two of their last five league games, and could be a handful for the struggling Blues.
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Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel's inability to get the best out of Romelu Lukaku is concerning
Thomas Tuchel has been unable to get the best out of Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku since his arrival at the club last summer. The 28-year-old joined the Blues from Inter Milan on a club-record fee of £97.5 million.
The former Manchester United forward enjoyed an impressive start to his second spell at Chelsea. However, a combination of injuries, illness and Tuchel's tactics have resulted in Lukaku enduring a dip in form.
He has scored just five goals in 15 league games for Chelsea this season. Furthermore, the Belgian criticised Tuchel's tactics during a controversial interview with Sky Sports Italia.
Romelu Lukaku 'was expecting a whole different situation at Chelsea' and reportedly wants to return to Italy...
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Unsurprisingly, the Belgian was dropped from Chelsea's matchday squad for their 2-2 draw with Liverpool a fortnight ago. Lukaku has returned to the Blues' starting line-up, but struggled to make an impact against Manchester City and Brighton.
Tuchel needs to find a way to get the best out of Lukaku if he is to revive Chelsea's flailing fortunes.