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Mythbuster is a series that critically fact-checks preconceived footballing notions and myths. This edition examines the broad antagonism that followed and still follows the Blues’ decision to give the current Bayern Munich head coach the heave-ho.
The soundness of Chelsea’s decision to jettison Thomas Tuchel eight months after the German’s sacking continues to be argued.
On the one hand, supporters questioned the reasoning of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital at the time and have piled on due to the hot mess that has ensued in West London.
On the other hand, a seemingly minor group had no objections last September, with the eighth-month decline since under Graham Potter and Frank Lampard not changing their minds.
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Good Tuchel
Tuchel secured the Blues’ second Champions League crown in 2021, made that season’s FA Cup final and ended in the top-four positions that seemed unattainable when Lampard was given the heave-ho at Cobham.
The following season, the former Borussia Dortmund boss won the UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup and got the London giants to two domestic cup finals, ultimately losing both to Liverpool on penalties.
Despite the disappointment in the FA Cup and League Cup finals, the wider fanbase admired the German tactician. Not only did his tactical nous heighten belief against top sides domestically and on the continent, but his eloquence gave hope to Chelsea fans when the imposed sanctions left the club in limbo.
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Nobody had anyone won hearts at Stamford Bridge since Jose Mourinho. But fans had ignored warning signs.
Bad Tuchel
Tuchel’s shock departure brought about an assessment of his near 18-month spell in West London. The former Borussia Dortmund boss was in situ for 100 games, with his final match the dispiriting start to the Champions League campaign in Zagreb.
However, the 2021 Champions League-winning manager’s second half-century of games at Stamford Bridge highlighted a downward trend.
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The foundation of the German’s European success was built on a solid defensive structure, but standards slipped, and the Chelsea defence was not as perfect.
According to Opta, the Blues conceded only 24 times in Tuchel’s first 50 games, but that number more than doubled in the subsequent 50, letting in 53 matches in a half-century of fixtures.
Interestingly, at the time of his departure, Tuchel’s points per game was the fewest of any Chelsea boss that had managed 25 games or more at the West London club.
At the start of this season, performances and results were incoherent, with the defensive strength that typified the Blues’ second Champions League success no longer evident.
The eye test indicated that the five-time Premier League champions were no longer themselves, and that slump was corroborated by the underlying numbers.
In six league fixtures, Tuchel’s Blues conceded Expected Goals Against (xGA) of 8.5, at the time a higher number than Arsenal and Manchester City combined. Including the loss against Dinamo Zagreb, that rises to 9.2 in seven games at the start of the 2022-23 season.
An even more damning statistic was the German’s final 25 games compared to Lampard, whom the former Paris Saint-Germain boss replaced at the Bridge in January 2021.
Both coaches secured 13 wins each, but the Englishman’s goals for return outdid Tuchel’s, while his Chelsea side conceded fewer than the German’s.
While Tuchel’s Chelsea start in West London began admirably, there was a downturn in the subsequent campaign before the ownership change at the club.
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Verdict
Admittedly, there are mitigating circumstances in Tuchel’s downturn at the Bridge.
The loss of flying wing-backs Reece James and Ben Chilwell was unhelpful, even if some fans could argue the slide continued after their returns, the sanctions that almost put the club on its knees worsened the situation, and the 2022 pre-season preparations were far from ideal.
The departures of Petr Cech and Marina Granovskaia meant Tuchel assumed a more demanding role in squad building, which he ultimately and unsurprisingly struggled at.
However, after firefighting to secure a top-four berth and claim the club’s second Champions League triumph, what followed was an inability to evolve and find on-field solutions to bugbears at both ends of the pitch, with the Blues reserving their best for the games against the so-called top sides.
While most observers criticise the timing of Tuchel’s departure, the decline in performances and results suggest the right call was made.
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