UEFA Awards: Chelsea leaves its mark on the ceremony

Thomas Tuchel (UEFA Men’s Coach of the Year)

Without former Borrusia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain coach Thomas Tuchel coming to Chelsea, the team would have never won the UCL. The German mastermind took over a struggling Blues side in January of 2021 and he went on to win the biggest tournament of them all. Under Lampard, the Blues lacked the alertness and the swift playing style that they now demonstrate. Chelsea used to play like it was in 2008 when physicality outweighed fast-paced, quick passing style attacking football. While playing on counter-attack is not exactly bad, as Jose Mourinho showed us, football has changed a lot and Tuchel showed us exactly what we were missing.

Changing from a 4-3-3 to a three-at-the-back at the back formation, allowing the wingbacks to help out the forwards was an excellent idea. This—along with the motivation to excel at everything—gave Chelsea a second boost near the end of the season. While winning the English top flight was out of the question, the Blues were still in the running to win the FA Cup and the UCL. The FA Cup seemed more realistic, but Tuchel only had his eyes set on the trophy with the big ears.

After getting so close to the trophy with PSG, the German tactician made up his mind that he would win it with Chelsea. The boys in blue went on an adventure of a lifetime, beating all the top teams on the continent and coming up as the unlikely winners of the biggest club competition in the world. It is all thanks to Tuchel. Tuchel turned around a failing team and made it a European champion, and no one deserves the trophy more than him.

Jorginho (UEFA Men’s Player of the Year)

The biggest award of the night was picked up by none other than Chelsea’s vice-captain, Jorginho. The story of the former Napoli man is absolutely incredible. Coming from Italy, along with his former manager Maurizio Sarri, the Italian was tipped to leave the club after finding it difficult to adjust to the Premier League. When Sarri departed the club in 2019, many thought that Jorginho would follow.

However, the midfielder decided to stay at Chelsea and help it win even more trophies. In his first year, he won the Europa League with the Blues, but he struggled the next season under Lampard. He was quick to foul players and made rash decisions, which ended up with him earning 13 yellow cards that campaign. His career with Chelsea seemed to be all but over as several sources claimed that he wanted a move back to Italy. Despite rumors and allegations though, Jorginho kept his calm and improved his game a lot.

From being the outcast at Stamford Bridge to becoming the European Player of the Year, it has been a rollercoaster of a ride for the Italian. Being able to play in his preferred deeper role has given him the confidence that he had back in Serie A. He has also adapted well to the pace of the English game now. His overall style has become much faster than before. Jorginho is no longer the rash, slow player that he used to be; he is now the elegant conductor who orchestrates the entire game. Understanding Jorginho is tougher than it looks, however. Without his influence, the Blues wouldn’t have picked up their second UCL or even the Super Cup. The midfielder also helped Italy in winning its first major tournament since 2006 and thus, he deserved to win the 2021 UEFA Player of the Year award.

Do you think Chelsea can emulate last season’s performance this season? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!