Only one man has survived three or more years as Chelsea manager since the day Roman Abramovich bought the club in 2003. Jose Mourinho was the Russian’s first appointed boss, so his lengthy stay was large in part due to results, but also partially due to Abramovich’s inexperience owning a football club. He’s since fired a plethora of brilliant managers for various reasons and built a reputation for being the most ruthless individual in world football. That is, other than Marina Granovskaia, the Blues’ Director and Abramovich’s right-hand woman.
The most recent example of Abramovich’s ruthlessness was the firing of Frank Lampard. The club legend had his side firing on all cylinders after overachieving in his first season in charge. Chelsea temporarily went top of the table in December and advanced to the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League. Lampard was sitting pretty, on top of the world at his dream job. It all came crashing down a month later. The Englishman was sacked and replaced by former Paris Saint-Germain boss Thomas Tuchel. The German guided the Blues to a victory in the UCL, the second in their history. Now, Tuchel is in the midst of a difficult winter period that somewhat resembles those of years past. Nevertheless, Tuchel seems to have the full backing of the club.
Chelsea is getting behind Thomas Tuchel, despite the recent struggles at the club
Chants of “we’ve got super Thomas Tuchel, he knows exactly what we need” rang out around Stamford Bridge toward the closing stages of the exciting draw against Liverpool. While the match-going crowd tends to back the manager regardless of their respective situations at the time, this was especially refreshing to hear. Tuchel’s side has struggled as of late, dropping down to second in the league (10 points off Manchester City at the top) after leading for much of the early campaign. The Blues have looked sloppy in some matches as they attempt to string together a starting XI during the COVID-19 and injury crises plaguing the club right now. These struggles were not helped by Romelu Lukaku’s distracting and immature comments that surfaced a few days ago. Despite all of this, the Chelsea faithful made it abundantly clear where their loyalties lie.
In years past, the press would be filled with rumors of the board’s restlessness during a run of results like the present one. The way Tuchel has handled the Lukaku situation and guided the Blues through this unprecedented time while maintaining a high standard is nothing short of remarkable though. The lack of exit rumors seem to confirm the board’s agreement on this topic. There are also the reports that Tuchel’s decision to bench Lukaku against Liverpool was made alongside the players and the club’s hierarchy. There’s no way to confirm these rumors and unless Tuchel directly speaks about these reports, we never will, but it’s an encouraging sign regardless. The German and the decision makers around him seem to be on the same page, as they were on day one, even after a tumultuous time over the last month.
This inspires hope that Tuchel will remain in SW6 for years to come. It also hints at the fact the Champions League-winning manager will be given some funds to play with in January. Abramovich is as demanding as they come. The Blues still have the opportunity to win another four trophies throughout the current campaign (let’s not kid ourselves, the Premier League is out of reach) and the board supporting Tuchel means it knows what it takes to succeed. The German manager has been put in an impossible position at this moment in time with the squad he has, hopefully Abramovich opens his checkbook to allow for exciting reinforcements in the coming weeks.
Regardless of all of this, it’s simply refreshing to see the Blues seemingly make the right decision for once. There shouldn’t even be the faintest peep of replacing Tuchel given all he’s managed to accomplish throughout his time in charge. I wrote back in September that the 48-year-old could be the one to break the chain. Three months removed, my feelings remain unchanged, even after a sub-par stretch to see out 2021. The question is, does the club feel the same as the author?
Do you think Tuchel remains in SW6 long-term? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!