Thomas Tuchel trying to solve Chelsea’s attacking puzzle ahead of Man Utd and Liverpool meetings | Football News

Chelsea produced one other spectacular defensive show in Tuesday’s Champions League win over Atletico Madrid. They’ve now stored six clear sheets in eight video games underneath Thomas Tuchel. It is as many as they managed within the final 16 underneath Frank Lampard.

Atletico had been restricted to 6 photographs, none of them on track, and it has been an analogous story for Chelsea’s Premier League opponents. Since Tuchel’s appointment, Chelsea have confronted the fewest photographs within the division and recorded the bottom anticipated targets in opposition to whole too.

Little marvel, then, that they’re racking up the clear sheets. Tuchel has made defensive stability a precedence since his arrival, switching to a again three and making Chelsea extra sturdy by deploying two defensive midfielders slightly than one.

On the different finish of the pitch, nevertheless, there may be nonetheless a lot work to do.

Olivier Giroud’s overhead kick proved decisive in opposition to Atletico and Chelsea’s total efficiency in Bucharest was definitely a step within the course. However Tuchel remains to be grappling with most of the identical points as his predecessor in relation to their assault.

Chelsea hoped their recruitment in that space final summer time – Kai Havertz, Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech arrived at a mixed value of £154m – would remodel them into title challengers.

However Lampard could not discover a solution to match the items collectively and it is proving difficult for Tuchel too. The 47-year-old has lower an exasperated determine at occasions, reacting angrily when strikes have damaged down and displaying his ruthless facet with a few of his substitutions.

Callum Hudson-Odoi felt his wrath during the 1-1 draw with Southampton final Saturday when he was withdrawn solely 31 minutes after coming off the bench, whereas Tammy Abraham was hooked on the interval for the second time in three video games.

Tuchel was crucial of each gamers after the sport and likewise addressed Chelsea’s broader offensive points.

“We expect day and evening about scoring and creating possibilities. We play excessive up the pitch and given the statistics from the final matches, I do know we do not rating sufficient for the variety of touches within the field, the variety of photographs, the variety of possibilities we’re creating.”

Tuchel went on to bemoan Chelsea’s “lack of precision” and “lack of high quality in decision-making” within the closing third. “At present I didn’t really feel within the final 20 meters that we might kill the sport when it was there to be carried out,” he added.

Lampard could possibly be heard making comparable feedback all through his tenure and regardless of Chelsea’s current defensive enchancment and the dramatic upturn in outcomes over the previous few weeks, the facet’s attacking output has in reality dipped since Tuchel’s appointment.

Chelsea are having fun with extra possession and moving into the opposition field extra incessantly, however their scoring price has dropped and so have their numbers for anticipated targets and photographs on track.

Chelsea are struggling to transform their possession into high-quality possibilities, in different phrases, and they don’t seem to be helped by the wasteful ending mirrored of their falling shot accuracy.

Tuchel will hope Giroud is ready to construct on his match-winning show in opposition to Atletico within the remaining months of the season however the greater precedence is to coax extra from the younger gamers round him.

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Mason Mount has, to his credit score, picked up the place he left off underneath Lampard, scoring within the 2-1 victory over Sheffield United and successful and changing Chelsea’s penalty in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Southampton. However the remainder are but to catch the attention.

Accidents have hampered Havertz, Ziyech and Christian Pulisic, in fact, however all three are absolutely match now. Tuchel should discover a solution to get the most effective out of them and the identical is true of Werner.

The 24-year-old has performed extra Premier League minutes than every other Chelsea attacker underneath Tuchel. Having been shunted between positions underneath Lampard, he has no less than been given a extra centered position, within the inside-left channel, underneath Tuchel.

Werner thrived in an analogous place at earlier membership RB Leipzig and Tuchel’s counter-pressing system ought to go well with him too. However proper now his performances stay erratic and his output low. Werner ended a 14-game barren run along with his objective in opposition to Newcastle however there may be nonetheless a way that he’s discovering his toes at Chelsea.

It’s doubtless that Werner and his team-mates may have a brand new central striker to mix with subsequent season. Giroud, 34, is nearing the tip of his contract and Chelsea are mentioned to be among the many main candidates to signal Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund.

However till then it’s Tuchel’s activity to get the facet firing utilizing the gamers he already has, and to show a set of proficient people right into a functioning unit.

Chelsea are already making progress, in fact, having climbed to fifth within the Premier League since Tuchel’s appointment. However they now face a pivotal run of video games in opposition to Manchester United, Liverpool, Everton and Leeds earlier than the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie with Atletico.

Tuchel will hope to make it as troublesome as doable for these sides to interrupt Chelsea down and up to date performances present loads of encouragement in that regard. However the subsequent step is to enrich their defensive solidity with the type of attacking efficiency the membership had in thoughts after final summer time’s recruitment drive.

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