The Blue’s have found stability in their team under Thomas Tuchel. As Tuchel steps into a new season with Chelsea for the first time, there is a lot of hope in the German and his position to help the Blues win the Premier League.
The story so far has been promising and it is all thanks to the revival of Chelsea’s elite defence, playing at an elite level.
Several fans were not impressed with the likes of Antonio Rudiger, Marcos Alonso and Andreas Christensen prior to Tuchel’s arrival. However, these names are now top picks for fan favourite starting elevens. I call that, “the Tuchel effect”.
The migration from a back 4 to a back 3 had revolutionised Chelsea’s 2020/21 season. Once Tuchel took control of the Blue’s his first notable change was the formation.
Whilst some questioned the logic behind it, he continued to show that he knows exactly what he is doing. Every change he made had a reason behind it and it more than often worked out in his favour.
An interesting stat to note is that since Tuchel’s arrival, Chelsea have accumulated 23 clean sheets; 19 from last season and 4 out of a possible 6 for the current season. This is the most kept by any club in the big five leagues in Europe.
A pretty impressive statistic. Chelsea’s champions league 1-0 win against Zenit on Tuesday night is included in this total and as they face Tottenham on Sunday, they hope to add to their tally.
Respectively, the clean sheets kept by Chelsea includes some big names. Liverpool, Real Madrid, current English champions Manchester City and current Spanish champions Atletico Madrid are on the list of the clean sheet achievers.
There’s a mixed combination of defenders that Tuchel relies upon. Each combination of players looked to be up to the task every time they were called upon.
Andreas Christensen, Thiago Silva, Cesar Azpilucueta, Trevoh Chalobah and most commonly Antonio Rudiger.
In spite of his previous rocky relationship with the fans, Tuchel has called upon Antonio Rudiger to be one of his main constants in defence. He has proven to be the rock that consistently delivers for their backline, rarely putting a foot wrong.
As I praise Rudiger, I must give Edouard Mendy the exceptional praise that he also deserves. Sharing a Champions League record of the most clean sheets saved, Chelsea’s shot-stopper has been a helping hand in their impressive defensive record.
Some say that goalkeepers do not actually play a major part in keeping clean sheets, however, Mendy’s role has been more than just shot-stopping.
His organisation of the defence and composure on and off the ball has placed confidence in the backline that prevails in front of him.
Having confidence in your goalkeeper leads to a more solid performance and that is the most important attribute that Mendy has added to our defence.
The new season has already begun and there are still records to break. Only conceding 2 goals so far, one in the Super Cup against Villarreal and one in the Premier League by the feet of Liverpool, Tuchel’s tricky blues look stronger than ever in defence.
They’re looking to limit chances from the opposition going forward and seek out more defensively solid performances. Let’s see how they get along as the season progresses.