Thomas Tuchel has turned Chelsea into a winning machine – but the football is surprisingly dull
Thomas Tuchel’s transformation of Chelsea from freewheeling self-saboteurs to uber-efficient winning machine continues apace.
Days after reaching the Champions League quarter-finals by beating kindred spirits Atletico Madrid, they marched into the last four of the FA Cup with minimal flourish against Sheffield United on Sunday.
So serene has their recent progress been that media-shy Roman Abramovich even granted a rare interview.
This is going to sound churlish, especially to Chelsea supporters, but it is all surprisingly dull.
Tuchel has smothered the opposition so effectively that his team have only conceded twice in his 14 games in charge.
The problem is, there isn’t much goalmouth action at the other end either. Chelsea have scored 17 in that time and are yet to net more than twice in a single match.
It’s not what a lot of people may have expected from a manager who rose to prominence at Borussia Dortmund.
Tuchel’s Dortmund stayed true to the template set by predecessor Jurgen Klopp, on average scoring more than twice a game and conceding once.
His Chelsea would seem to have more in common with his Paris Saint-Germain side: winning, but without winning anyone over.
And it definitely isn’t tapping into the embarrassment of attacking riches stockpiled at Stamford Bridge.
When the club spent almost £150m on Kai Havertz, Timo Wener and Hakim Ziyech in the summer, it surely wasn’t to grind out 1-0 and 2-0 wins.
Tuchel’s mechanical Chelsea have hardly showcased other flair players Christian Pulisic, Mason Mount and Callum Hudson-Odoi either.
Chelsea back on track and up for two cups
Of course, Frank Lampard was big on devil-may-care attacking football and look where that got him.
Club legend he may be, but no one is lamenting his sacking as manager now, however ruthless it seemed at the time.
Tuchel stopped the slide that took hold under Lampard, put Chelsea back on track for the top four and made them contenders for two trophies.
Football is, as we are regularly told, a results business and Tuchel’s results are as good as anyone’s.
We know, though, that Abramovich wants a team that not only wins but wins in style.
Whether that is a realistic demand is open to debate. Perhaps only Carlo Ancelotti succeeded, and even he was ousted after two seasons.
Chelsea’s turgid style under Tuchel raises questions about the his long-term suitability.
Managerial changes aside, Abramovich’s most notable interventions – the signings of Fernando Torres, Andriy Shevchenko – have been attempts to sprinkle more attacking stardust on his side.
“I think we are pragmatic in our choices,” Abramovich noted in that interview with Forbes.
“We are comfortable making the right changes at the right time to ensure we can achieve our long-term ambitions. Those who join understand the objectives.”