Chelsea took on Juventus at Stamford Bridge with the Blues looking to finish top of their Champions League group for the second successive season. Dominant throughout the 90’, Thomas Tuchel’s men played with a certain swagger and confidence that befits the reigning European Champions. The Blues would eventually come away with a convincing 4-0 victory, inflicting upon Juventus their worst-ever defeat in the Champions League. Here are the lessons learnt from Chelsea 4, Juventus 0.
1. A statement victory
Following his side’s 1-0 win over Chelsea in the reverse leg of this fixture, a satisfied Massimiliano Allegri lamented that “With all due respect to the Champions of Europe, Wojciech Szczesny didn’t have a real save to make.” Perhaps eager to highlight his tactical blueprint that had restricted the Blues to a solitary shot on target all night, Allegri simultaneously alluded to how disappointing his opposition was on the day. Safe to say, after Tuesday’s rematch against Chelsea, Allegri can be anything but disappointed with the quality on show from Chelsea as his side recorded their biggest defeat in all competitions since 2004.
Chelsea was simply unplayable on the night. Calm and controlled when in possession and aggressive in the press when off the ball, Tuchel’s side systematically dismantled Juventus across both halves. Be it forcing their opposition into silly giveaways through their press, or finding creative solutions in face of the low-block employed by Juventus, Chelsea recorded an astonishing 3.11 expected goals against a side that has not conceded more than two goals in a game this season.
Tuesday’s win not only places the Blues in pole position to finish as winners of Group H. The incredible level of performance against high-quality of opposition is undoubtedly a massive statement of intent. This Chelsea side is a perfect blend of experience and youth coached by a manager that has seemingly found the ideal balance between creativity and defensive solidarity. Unlikely their predecessors who landed themselves in the Europa League following Chelsea’s first Champions League win in 2012, this Chelsea team is equipped to go all the way again this season. Juventus are not the first, and will definitely not be the last, to experience this devastating force of nature that is Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea.