Chelsea F.C. are now heading into a new chapter after firing the manager who won them the Champions League 2 years ago, Thomas Tuchel. Tuchel had gotten off to a rocky start this season, as Chelsea had won just two of their last six games, including an embarrassing loss to Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb, in their UCL opener. New co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Egbali have relayed their message: There is no time to mess around, and get things wrong. While a club like Chelsea should follow a similar standard, in this instance, Tuchel should have been given a bit more time.
Lack of scorers
After losing both Timo Werner and Romelu Lukaku, the Blues were left to find someone who could put the ball in the net for them. They were able to do so on Deadline Day, bringing in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from F.C. Barcelona. Aubameyang was set to reunite with Thomas Tuchel, who had managed him with Borussia Dortmund. The Gabon national made his debut against Dinamo Zagreb, which was one to forget. Multiple offside calls, and it just seemed like he tensed up too much inside of the box. But, before all of this, Tuchel wasn’t dealt many options up front. New signing from Manchester City Raheem Sterling has contributed 3 goals and an assist so far this season, but things just haven’t been clicking. Chances haven’t been created for the forwards to score, so Chelsea are forced to take ill-advised shots that are rushed.
Development of defenders
Chelsea spent a record number of almost €200 million on defenders alone. Marc Cucurella, Wesley Fofana, and Kalidou Koulibaly all are the future of their back line. Tuchel didn’t even have a full 5 games to see how they would fit with each other come game time, but their potential is limitless. Fofana and Cucurella are both under 24, and are already showing signs of being the future signs of the EPL. Being new players in the Chelsea system, with their age in addition, I feel like they need more time to get adjusted to the play. It’s a lot more pressure to play for Chelsea, especially with the rich history and fans.
Now that the Tuchel Era is over, Chelsea turn their heads to Graham Potter, coming over from Brighton & Hove Albion. Potter is a solid coach, who will bring new looks to this Chelsea squad. He had the Seagulls on a roll this season, as they are currently in Fourth place. That being said, he has been known for not being able to finish season’s out strong. At Chelsea, he will need to do so because Top 4 is always a priority; and with the position Chelsea are currently in, he has a lot of ground to make up. While I don’t feel Tuchel was worthy of getting sacked, we will see just how much the new owners really know about what it takes to manage this big of a club.
Top Photo: Darren Walsh (Chelsea FC)- Getty Images