Chelsea: Three lessons learnt from West Ham six pointer

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Chelsea’s Spanish defender Cesar Azpilicueta (L) vies with Manchester City’s Brazilian striker Gabriel Jesus (R) during the English FA Cup semi-final football match between Chelsea and Manchester City at Wembley Stadium in north west London on April 17, 2021. – – RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or ‘live’ services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. (Photo by Adam Davy / POOL / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or ‘live’ services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or ‘live’ services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. (Photo by ADAM DAVY/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) /

2. Tuchel’s squad management

Chelsea’s first win at the London Stadium since March 2017 has seen the Blues further solidify their place in the top four. When taking into account the fact that Chelsea was in 10th place, six points off West Ham in fourth following the departure of Frank Lampard, the change in fortunes of the team has been nothing short of remarkable.

With an FA Cup final and a UEFA Champions League semi-final on the side, however, there is still much to play for even with just five matches still to play in the league. Squad management would undoubtedly prove crucial here as Tuchel attempts to navigate his team through three separate competitions. In this regard, Tuchel has done a decent job thus far having utilized 23 players with Willy Caballero the sole first-team member who has yet to make an appearance under the German.

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More notably, however, is Tuchel’s ability to maintain performance levels in spite of the frequent chopping and changing necessary to keep the players fresh and fit. This was something that Frank Lampard notably struggled with when it became clear that the club was going to struggle to find new homes for players he did not fancy. As such, Tuchel’s ability to maintain Chelsea’s competitiveness whilst keeping the majority of his squad happy could prove vital in fulfilling the club’s ambition across all three fronts this season.

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