Chelsea’s new boss, Thomas Tuchel, got to see his first Premier League game in charge after roughly 24 hours at the club. The XI was picked for experience and the formation was altered as the Blues went 0-0 to a struggling Wolves side. What lessons were learned in the match?
1. Callum Hudson-Odoi is going to make it big, irrespective of manager or position
Callum Hudson-Odoi has been one of Chelsea’s brightest players throughout the season. While his chances have been rather limited, he clawed and scratched his way into the starting lineup under Frank Lampard and literally forced the gaffer to pick him due to his performances.
While Hudson-Odoi put in a poor performance against Leicester City, he was absolute ecstatic against Wolves. He started in a rather unfamiliar role of right wingback in a an extremely advanced position. Hudson-Odoi was direct and kept running at the Wolves backline causing all sorts of problems for Rayan Ait-Nouri, Wolves’ left wingback. The young Englishman looked so dangerous that Nuno, Wolves’ head coach, had to take Ait-Nouri off as he sensed the sort of damage that Hudson-Odoi could create. Nuno put Semedo there, but even he struggled against 20-year-old.
Last night’s heatmap shows Hudson-Odoi majorly in the opposition half. However, the Chelsea wonderkid was equally adept in the defensive phase as well, as he was seen tracking back effectively on numerous occasions. There was even a moment when Hudson-Odoi ended a dangerous counter from Wolves in Chelsea’s box.
Hudson-Odoi put some crisp cross into the box and they were placed in really dangerous areas. The Blues failed to finish the majority of those crosses, however, on another day, those would have turned into multiple goals. Overall, this performance was a reminder that Hudson-Odoi is destined for big things with Chelsea Football Club, and he will make it big, irrespective of the position, irrespective of the manager.
2. Mason Mount is still Mr. Chelsea
Mason Mount was surprisingly left out the starting lineup against Wolves. Now, it would be wrong to read too much into the team selection against Wolves. After all, Tuchel had just taken one training session, and he went for experience.
In Frank Lampard’s reign, Mason Mount was always the first name on the team sheet, and I am pretty sure that will soon be the case in Tuchel’s era as well. Mount played matches week in week out without rests and was always one of the brightest players on the pitch. Against Wolves, Tuchel open for a midfield of Mateo Kovacic and Jorginho with Kai Havertz and Hakim Ziyech playing as inverted inverted forwards, in the space behind Olivier Giroud.
The system looked quite attractive in the beginning as Chelsea played some fast football and stretched the play wide through the wingbacks. However, as the game went on, the sideways passes increased from the midfield and it was clear that there was a lack of sting through the middle. While Kovacic and Jorginho are great midfielders, they need someone in front of them to link the attack and the defense properly.
Tuchel finally introduced Mason Mount in the final ten minutes of the game, and the future Chelsea captain showed (once again) why he needs to be the first name on the team sheet. Mount did exactly what was missing from the team prior to his introduction. He broke in between the lines and reached the opponent’s box on more than one occasion.
If Tuchel opts to stick with this 3-4-2-1/3-4-3/lopsided 4-2-3-1, then he must include Mason Mount in the pivot, or even as one of the inverted forwards. Mason Mount is still Mr. Chelsea, and seven minutes against Wolves was enough to give Tuchel a taste of the boy who has been around since the age of six.
3. Tuchel has a clear idea and strategy in his mind
Tuchel took only one training session before the game against Wolves. It would have been easy to continue with the previous system for this game, as he adjusted to life in London. However, it was quite refreshing to see him implement his own strategy, which was completely different from the style being played at Stamford Bridge.
He even took the risk of playing Callum Hudson-Odoi, a natural winger, as a wingback. One important thing to mention here is that the deployment of Hudson-Odoi as a wingback was possible due to his improved defensive work rate, something that Lampard emphasized on regularly. It was interesting to see Tuchel do such things in his first game, and it showed that the German has a clear tactical plan that he wants to implement with these players.
Kai Havertz looked a different player throughout the game, and thrived in a free role given by Tuchel. He even made some driving runs into the opposition’s box, something he hasn’t done throughout the season. The quick exchanges between Azpilicueta, Hudson-Odoi, and Ziyech showed the type of football that Tuchel wants to implement.
While the Blues couldn’t get the three points, they showed flashes of fast attacking football that we can expect to see at the Bridge soon. With time, the viciousness of the attack should improve even more and Chelsea’s gameplay should be a feast for anyone interested in studying football tactics. “The Professor” seems to have a clear idea in his mind about this team, and things will only improve as the season goes on.
What lessons did you learn from the match? Let us know in the comments and on Twitter!