Thomas Tuchel’s tinkering is hurting Chelsea as Blues drop points against Leeds
When ‘tinkermen’ are mentioned in football, the first name that comes to mind is Chelsea's former coach Claudio Ranieri. But for all of the Italian’s continuous experiments, he stuck by a single starting lineup in the lead-up to Leicester City’s fairy tale Premier League triumph in 2016.
Five years down the line, another manager is claiming the tinkerman tag, this time, it is new Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel. The Blues manager is yet to lose since joining over a month ago, but his penchant to chop and change his team sheet has been all too evident.
Chelsea haven't fielded the same starting lineup in consecutive games since the German has taken charge. Aside from Edouard Mendy, who has kept the sticks in most games, everyone else has been dropped at one point or the other.
The Blues’ back-three has seen Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen, Kurt Zouma and Cesar Azpilicueta selected and dropped for matches with cheeky ease.
Reece James, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Ben Chilwell and Marcos Alonso have also had to battle for the wing-back positions, while the attacking trio also continues to change with each passing game.
Chelsea drop points against Leeds
On Saturday, Chelsea failed to beat Leeds United in a game that saw many changes to their starting lineup. This marked the third time in five games Chelsea failed to win.
The Blues may still be in the top four, but their position is not secured at the moment. With West Ham United, Everton, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool breathing down their necks, winning against Leeds would have strengthened their grip on a top-four finish.
Against Marcelo Bielsa’s side, Chelsea looked like a disjointed team. Their front three of Mason Mount, Christian Pulisic and Kai Havertz failed to come to the party, and the Blues struggled to create any meaningful chances for most of the game.
How Thomas Tuchel’s tinkering is hurting Chelsea
Chelsea undoubtedly have a very big squad, but Thomas Tuchel’s constant tinkering is beginning to hurt them. No matter how well a player plays, there seems to be no guarantee that he will start in the next game.
Kai Havertz, for instance, was impressive in Chelsea's 2-0 win against Everton last week when he played as a no. 10. But the German was deployed as a false striker against Leeds.
For a player who has struggled this season, it would have been prudent for Tuchel to give Havertz an extended run in the no. 10 role to build on his performance from last week.
As it stands, from defence to attack, there is no consistency at the club, and the constant tinkering is affecting the telepathy and rhythm of the team.
It is acceptable for managers to rotate their squads, but it becomes detrimental to the team when the starting lineup gets changed every game. Tuchel may not have lost yet, but his constant tinkering is beginning to hurt Chelsea, something that is evident in some of their recent results.