Three games, three goals and 0 conceded for Chelsea. This is the stat line that Blues fans hope to see Thomas Tuchel’s men build upon. After Chelsea’s victory against Tottenham on Thursday, it’s been over 270 minutes without conceding a goal and there are several factors that this new defensive solidity can be attributed to.
To start, the obvious factor is the change of manager and the bounce that teams get from that. That is just the beginning of the story. Tuchel has kept a clean sheet in his last six matches that he has managed with the three previous during his tenure with Paris Saint-Germain. We can’t say Tuchel is a defensive genius, but the tactics he has embedded in the team has gotten a reaction from what was missing under the previous regime.
A formation change to the three at the back might be just a what was needed, but it must not be a detriment to the attacking phase of play like was seen under Antonio Conte in certain games of his last season. The 3-4-2-1 has allowed the squad to have more possession of the ball and not worry about being caught out when trying to work towards finding a goal. Will this be the formation that Tuchel has the Blues playing for the rest of season? Well, throughout his career, he has been proactive in changing his formation with the personnel he has to his disposal and the opponent that he faces so nothing is definite.
The team selection has played a huge part as well. Captain Cesar Azpilicueta return to the centerback position where he had his some of his best seasons in Chelsea shirt. The leadership of both Azpilicueta and Thiago Silva has given Rudiger and rest of the team the confidence needed to stay levelheaded. We’ve seen the likes of Jorginho and Marcos Alonso get back in the side which just last month (for the latter especially) seemed the most unlikely of events. We all know that Alonso isn’t in anyway a left back because of his defensive incapability, so the return to the left wing back spot for him was needed even if it’s to the detriment of Ben Chilwell.
All of these factors have been a huge help to the defensive instability that the side has experienced throughout this season and it must continue but offer balance to the attack. The attackers must contribute from here going forward because, on certain days, the club won’t have their defenders and a penalty to save them. The Blues will face better sides than Tottenham in the near future and it’s up to Tuchel to develop tactics for the attackers to get into the best areas to score goals in those games.
The club can be pleased with the progress that the team has achieved these past three games and it will be intriguing to see where it leads going forward. There will be better sides that the Blues have to play in the near future such as Manchester United and Atletico Madrid so it will be interesting how it plays out.
What are you thoughts on our defensive performances as of late? Let us know in the comments or Twitter!