Three things to look for in the Club World Cup final: Chelsea vs Palmeiras

3. Shape, set-up and stuff of the sorts

There is one thing that keeps Chelsea managers from succeeding long term after they reach the highest of highs. Each one flies too close to the sun and gets burnt when teams figure out the formation that makes the Blues a one-trick, um, bird-man? I like pony better, but we had to keep the allusion alive somehow. Anyways, it happened with Antonio Conte. It happened with Maurizio Sarri. It happened—to a lesser degree—with Lampard and it happened to Tuchel to start the year. Luckily for Chelsea, the board picked a magician with many tricks up his sleeve. Wow, much like Icarus, I’m on fire with these literary devices.

Supporters hadn’t gotten a chance to bear witness to claims their manager was a tactical wizard before this season. Tuchel set his side up in a base 3-4-3 in every game except for one last season (first half at Leeds United) and it worked wonders. The Blues clawed back into the Premier League’s top four, they managed to make it to the FA Cup final and they achieved European success on that night in Porto—all using the aforementioned shape. However, once teams started to figure the tactics out and injuries began to impact results, Tuchel was forced to change. Only then did Chelsea fans get a glimpse of the tactical mastermind in their team’s dugout.

The Champions League-winning manager has used a plethora of shapes this season. This includes formations like the 3-5-2, 3-diamond-3, 4-2-2-2 and most recently, 4-1-4-1. The Blues switched it up again versus Al Hilal, choosing to revert back to what got them there in the first place. They looked awkward at times in a back three with the midfield especially getting overrun in the second half. Nevertheless, Tuchel and Michels doubled down on the 3-4-3 in-game.

The struggle against Al Hilal in the semifinal only raises more questions about which shape Chelsea will line up in against Palmeiras. The Brazilians played in a 4-2-3-1 formation against Al Ahly in their semifinal contest, which could play into Tuchel’s decision in the end. The 4-1-4-1 seemed to be working fairly well before Wednesday. Without the German coach being in Abu Dhabi to answer on his decisions, there’s no telling whether that was a planned change or if it was to cope without Mount in the starting XI. Tuchel’s done everything in his power to prove he knows this squad’s strengths, let’s just hope that’s the case when he puts together a plan for the final.

What are some of the things you’ll be looking for ahead of the Club World Cup final? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or on Twitter!