Chelsea: Three lessons learnt in important victory at Tottenham

2. An actual identity and structure

One of the biggest criticisms Lampard was facing—especially during the latter stages of his time as a manager of Chelsea—was that the team was lacking a clear identity. There was no concrete tactical set-up, and what was there, was disturbed heavily because of the team’s run of bad games. One thing that Tuchel has done, or at least tried to implement, in these three games alone is a clear identity.

There’s a clear plan under the German. Get the ball, dominate possession and don’t let the opponents have it, but if they get it, win it back immediately. The Blues make their opponents suffer for the ball so much that their legs tire. In terms of set-up, there is one centreback slightly more advanced than the other two: Cesar Azpilicueta. The wingbacks are in sync with the forwards’ movement and there is a lot of movement in between the lines from the attacking midfielders like Mason Mount and Kai Havertz. The other two centrebacks and the two midfielders are crucial in escaping the press.

All of that being said, Tuchel’s not at the end of the tunnel yet; he’s actually far from it. There’s clearly a lot of work to do, there are certain players he needs to get the best out of, like Timo Werner, Havertz, Hakim Ziyech and others. But, yes, there has been a lot of improvement, and Chelsea fans must be relieved after seeing that. You can clearly see the set-up of a 3-4-2-1, with almost player having a designated role. It’s exciting to see the potential of this team under Tuchel. I am optimistic—cautiously, yes—but optimistic.

The Blues needed this Tottenham win. We saw all of this in the first half through the team’s desire. We all know how good it was and while the second half wasn’t as pretty, it was enough. Regardless, this team needs a lot of work and a lot of polishing still, but if and when that happens, that’s when we’ll start seeing the real Chelsea.