Chelsea: Three things to look for as Blues host fallen champions

2. Who will be Tuchel’s wild sub this time?

In almost every game since he took over, Tuchel has made at least one substitution that makes almost zero sense in the mind of the casual viewer. The Callum Hudson-Odoi subbing-the-sub fiasco was the Mona Lisa of the genre, but Tuchel has back that up with plenty of other head-scratchers. Against Manchester United, seeing a halftime sub that wasn’t for Hakim Ziyech raised a fair few eyebrows, although it did appear that Hudson-Odoi was nursing some sort of injury on the bench when the team came back out after the break.

This time around, it’s a complete guess as to who Tuchel might pull the rug out from under. If Hudson-Odoi is unable to start due to the knock he picked up on Sunday, that removes the easiest option. Smart money is probably on a striker, depending on who starts and who actually makes the bench. If you’re into narrative-stoking moves, the removal of someone like Tammy Abraham would be great content for a 5,000-word piece in the Athletic.

Depending on how the game is going by halftime, we could see either wingback replaced to better suit the moment. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson are the two most important players to nullify in order to beat Liverpool, so Tuchel’s choice of wide defenders will be crucial, and could go a long way towards setting the tone of the match from the outset. The likeliest duo would be Marcos Alonso and Reece James, assuming Hudson-Odoi isn’t fit to start on the right. James seems like a good candidate to corral Robertson, but Alonso would likely be helpless against Alexander-Arnold. If things are spiraling out of control, replacing Alonso with one of Emerson or Ben Chilwell would be a strong move to make. You would just hope that Tuchel makes his decisions before things get entirely out of hand.

All of that being said, the fun of Tuchel’s game management is in its inherent unpredictability and chaos. Believers will say its ingenious tactical maneuvering, while the more pessimistic members of the fanbase will simply accuse him of gross man-mismanagement. While neither side is ever entirely correct, one match-winning or losing move could certainly swing that debate firmly towards one end or the other.