Chelsea: 10 things learned in Thomas Tuchel’s first 10 matches

7. Big short term results

Tuchel’s first 10 matches featured an easy enough run in through February followed by a brutal March schedule. Atletico Madrid midweek, Manchester United on the weekend, and Liverpool midweek is a heck of a run of games and it is followed up by Everton, Leeds, Atletico Madrid again, and an FA Cup game against Sheffield United all before the break. In the first three Tuchel has two wins and a draw to build on to the rest of the results he has picked up.

That is impressive considering Tuchel joined when Chelsea was in 10th and miles off fourth, with little chance against Atletico Madrid, and the FA Cup a crapshoot. The Blues are now comfortably fourth on current form, look more confident than not at advancing to the Champions League quarter finals, and the FA Cup looks simpler than before.

New managers often see a “bump” in performances after joining for various reasons. Managers joining midseason also need those results because no one ever joins a solid looking team midseason. Chelsea has gotten some huge short term results that have put them back in control of their own destiny.

8. Questionable long term planning

It is, however, hard to ignore how these short term results came about. Players like Alonso, Rudiger, Jorginho and more were all ear marked for a transfer and now they look like key starters. They won’t be sold this summer if Tuchel has anything to say about it. But this has come at the expense of other players.

These other players that have seen less of the pitch are almost all the younger players. Tammy Abraham, Ben Chilwell, Kurt Zouma, Reece James, Kai Havertz, and more. Some have started to see minutes as of late but others are still waiting to get a real look.

It is one thing to play the older players when they are clearly better but another when they were all earmarked to leave and now the younger players have decisions to make. Simply put, the club has done nothing to convince Abraham to stay, especially if Olivier Giroud extends. Zouma has been one of the club’s best defenders the last two years but now he is surely eyeing an exit. And who is to say how long others will enjoy riding the bench knowing they could start at most other Premier League clubs.

Chelsea is a results based club and Tuchel is getting them, but come the summer some chickens may come home to roost that will cost Chelsea far more in the long term. Players like Jorginho or Olivier Giroud, good as they may be on their day, aren’t really the future of Chelsea. Players like Gilmour and Abraham are and this focus on short term results may yet cost the Blues players they need in the long term.