Fear not for the Chelsea youth under Thomas Tuchel
By Mike Malley
London is blue. Coming off a dominant 1-0 win over Spurs on Thursday evening, Chelsea is looking incredibly strong and playing some of the team’s best football of the season. While the scoreline might not look extreme, especially in comparison to United’s 9-0 trouncing of Southampton on Tuesday, the Blues were in complete control for 90’.
Since Thomas Tuchel’s arrival as Chelsea manager, much has been made of the German tactician’s selections for the starting XI. Many supporters were worried that Frank Lampard’s departure would mean the end of the line for the academy graduates who performed so well under very difficult circumstances last season. However, in his brief time as the boss, Tuchel has already shown a determination to continue fostering the club’s home-grown talent.
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None of the four young players who broke into the squad last season—namely Tammy Abraham, Mason Mount, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Reece James—have had their respective playing times reduced significantly under Tuchel. All have started at least once, and Mount and Hudson-Odoi have featured in every match. The argument can probably even be made that Hudson-Odoi’s role and importance to the team have only increased since the managerial change.
Perhaps the player with the most to lose in this group was Mount, who clearly had a meaningful relationship with Lampard that came from their time together at Derby County. While his effectiveness might be exaggerated from time to time, Mount has been a reliable servant for Chelsea and always gives his full effort. A few more goals and assists would be nice, but these intangible characteristics are invaluable over the stretch of a Premier League season. Mount’s position on the depth chart will hopefully stay high going forward.
It is strange that fans were worried about Tuchel freezing out the club’s youngsters, as he has always been known to value youth. He gave Christian Pulisic his debut at Borussia Dortmund back in 2016 and played a role in the development of many PSG prospects. Dutch full back Mitchel Bakker was a specific beneficiary during the French champions’ run at the UCL crown last season.
Despite the positive start to Tuchel’s time at Stamford Bridge, he has yet to fulfill one crucial task; improve the performances of the young new signings. Many assumed, myself included, that Tuchel would bring the best out of Kai Havertz and Timo Werner from the jump. That admittedly might have been an unfair expectation, but the lack of any improvement from the German internationals has been frustrating to see. Werner’s confidence is clearly still very low and Havertz was rather invisible in his two appearances. Looking ahead, Tuchel will have to find some way to help these two rediscover their prior form, while still maintaining a balance of playing time with the Englishmen.
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After the victory over Spurs, the Blues are back in contention for a spot in this year’s top four. They sit only four points behind Liverpool and have a fairly easy run of fixtures ahead, including Sunday’s trip to the table’s basement dwellers in Sheffield United. If Chelsea can continue its steady improvement and reach peak form by the end of February, the team will be well-positioned to navigate the difficult draw against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.