Chelsea: Thomas Tuchel’s biggest test of the season vs City on Saturday

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel passed another huge hurdle in reshaping the fortunes of the Blues by beating Porto and advancing to the Champions League semi-finals against Real Madrid. Porto is a solid side and proved their mettle in previously sending Juventus packing from the competition. That signature achievement speaks volumes. They’re a very good side.

But this Saturday, Tuchel and his revamped Blues’ side face a quite different and much better opponent than Porto. It faces Manchester City in the semi-finals of the FA Cup at Wembley. This season City is the cream of the crop, the top of the heap, and the best of the best. That goes for not only the Premier League but right now, for the moment, maybe in Europe, as well. Think Liverpool in 2019/2020. That’s the level. It screams unbeatable.

Like Liverpool last season, The Citizens are cruising to the Premier League title. It’s another “no contest” year in the league. Right now they’re 11 points clear of Manchester United (United has a game in hand) and a whopping 20 points ahead of Chelsea. Nothing about that situation indicates that Chelsea has much chance against the City juggernaut. And the captain of their ship is none other than the fabulous Kevin de Bruyne, the Chelsea outcast. De Bruyne likes nothing better than to crush Chelsea like grapes in a barrel and has made a habit of it. Although he has only five goals and 11 assists to date, the statistics don’t tell anything about his value to City and his individual brilliance.

It still rankles that a thoughtless Chelsea sent him packing (as they also did, of course, also with Mohamed Salah and Romelu Lukaku) without giving him much of a runout at all. When Chelsea sells talented young players, those sales have a habit of biting back hard. And they do it all too frequently. Back to De Bruyne, he is the field general for City. He runs the team, directs the attack, and makes things happen all game long every game. He’s a one-man wrecking crew and he did just that in City’s demolition of the Blues back on January 3rd, 3 – 1 while the club was managed by Frank Lampard.

Yet, that score sheet belies the fact that Chelsea was totally dominated from start to finish by City and their Chelsea demolition expert, De Bruyne. That game was closer to an 8-1 scoresheet than the final tally. It was a clear statement from City in January that they were a cut above and Chelsea need not wonder about overtaking them anytime soon. And De Bruyne isn’t the only problem. That side is loaded with great talent. Riyad Mahrez, Ilkay Gundogan, Fernandinho, Bernardo Silva, and Chelsea wrecker himself, the indomitable Sergio Aguero who I don’t believe played in the previous shellacking at the Bridge. And the list goes on and on.

Two main reasons why Tuchel is facing his toughest challenge of the season. First, an FA Cup win is two wins away and City is in the way. So, in the FA Cup, a win against City not only gets Chelsea into the finals but would make them the favorite. In addition, it is Tuchel’s best chance in this, his initial half-season, to win a significant Cup. It’s not the Championship of Europe but it’s one of the next best things for an English side. An FA Cup win punctuated following a win over City would be a monumental triumph and statement game for the Blues and for their new half-season manager. But Tuchel has to put together a game plan to get this done by Saturday.

And while a possible challenge for the UCL Cup is still viable, they would have to get by either City or PSG if Chelsea makes it to the finals by beating Real Madrid. No easy chore. The FA Cup semi-final could be a prelude to the UCL final. Pick your poison, City or PSG. Keep in mind though, that Tuchel’s Paris Saint-Germain side last season was only bested by Bayern Munich for the crown. In that final last season, Tuchel had Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, Thiago Silva, Marquinhos, etc., a wagon load of stars to put on the pitch. They were and still are a more talented side than Chelsea. A truly star-studded cast and they and Tuchel still couldn’t overtake Bayern. But Bayern is out now and the crown will land elsewhere.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out how Chelsea will line up against City. It will almost certainly be in the now-familiar 3-4-2-1. It worked barely against Porto but with a razor-thin margin of victory. Can he repeat the feat in a one-off against City? The team selection will be critical. Does he use possibly tired players who are his best or go with fresh legs? And what about the injury situation? A clear starter Mateo Kovacic is injured. N’Golo Kante played a full game Saturday coming off an injury. Will they be ready to go? The heart of the midfield question is fitness.

Tuchel does have another option to use at a No. 6, but would he be so bold? That is, of course, the tirelessly energetic Mason Mount. He possesses not only the ability to track back but lends an aspect to the attack that is almost completely lacking in any of their other midfielders, the ability to shoot on target and score. With Mount, that threat is real. That positioning would allow him to put Pulisic on the left-wing, Werner or Giroud at center-forward, and maybe Havertz on the right, or some combination thereof. Give up a little in defense but gain a lot in the attack.

So, Saturday will be his biggest test to date and maybe all season for Tuchel. It will clarify if he has taken Chelsea to a higher level capable of scrapping with the really big teams, and beating them. A win over City will go a long way toward cementing that fact and leave little doubt that Chelsea is ready to challenge anyone and everyone for Cup glory. It’s a very big tie and a very big test for Tuchel and his side. We’ll see how it turns out. Then, Real Madrid awaits in the Champions League semi-final.

These are all big games, huge games and we’ll find out for certain if the Blues can now beat the best.