Chelsea Makeover Part III: Crafting a Prolific Attack
Why is it that every forward under Thomas Tuchel has struggled for form? Is it the attackers? Is it the manager? A Combination of both?
Thomas Tuchel is a world-class manager but one of the main themes since his takeover has been the inability to turn Chelsea’s attack into a threatening one. With rumored exoduses for just about every Chelsea forward, the question must be asked… is Thomas Tuchel capable of cultivating a prolific attack in the Premier League?
Systems or Philosophies
What do you value more? A manager with a set system which he is reluctant to stray from? Or a manager who is adamant on setting up his team to get the best out of the players in his squad?
I honestly don’t quite know where I stand here but if one thing is for sure, it seems that Tuchel is unwilling to waver from the system he’s put in place at Chelsea since taking over. Don’t get me wrong, he won the Champions League with this system but domestically, it has struggled greatly.
The gap between Chelsea and the top two teams is a wide one as the club has been scrapping for top-four since Tuchel’s arrival rather than competing for titles. A lot of this has to do with the personnel at his disposal but a regime change in ownership is the perfect opportunity to turn the page and start fresh.
Right now, it’s evident that the current system does not suit just about all of our attackers. Hakim Ziyech, Christian Pulisic, and Callum Hudson-Odoi have been asked to play out position time and time again leading many fans to become annoyed with them as the trio of players struggle for consistency.
As for Kai Havertz, he’s going into his third season and has fallen short of the hype and many fans are calling this season make or break for him at Chelsea.
With Timo Werner back at RB Leipzig on a permanent deal and Romelu Lukaku back at Inter Milan on a season long loan, Tuchel has to get the best out of the attackers that remain but the question remains… can he or better yet does he even want to?
A Role for Everyone
If you read my previous piece on the midfield it highlighted that a defensive midfielder would allow for an extra attacker on the pitch. Tuchel could also drop Mason Mount deeper and deploy him as a box to box midfielder.
I truly believe that none of our forwards are “washed” ; they just haven’t been put in the best positions to succeed. Pulisic and Hudson-Odoi are direct wingers who on the left-flank, thrive at driving at opponents with the ball at their feet. Pulisic can also crash the box and find the back of the net while Hudson-Odoi is great on the break as his pace and ability to get the ball in the box is a huge plus.
As for Ziyech, he’s a bit different but his skill-set could prove incredibly useful to Tuchel. Ziyech loves to drop deep to receive the ball and play through-balls for Chelsea’s other forwards. He can also hug the touchline and whip in devastating in-swinging crosses from the right hand side with pin-point accuracy. I also think his ability to take on his man is very under appreciated.
As for Havertz, it’s a bit more tricky. At Bayern Leverkusen he did it all. Crashed the box, made runs in behind, but if one thing is for sure, he’s best centrally.
Personally, I’d love Tuchel to play Raheem Sterling as center-forward with Havertz playing off of him in something like a free role.
On paper, he'd be deployed as a winger but he’d be able to drift into the center of the pitch and link play while Sterling could then make runs from the center of the Chelsea attack down the width thus making space for Havertz centrally while getting himself into good positions. Both players would create space for each other quite easily and with how stagnant Chelsea’s attack has been of late it would be worth a shot.
With Mount deeper and more stability in the center of the pitch with a defensive midfielder, Havertz and the rest of the Chelsea attack would have a weight off their shoulders as they currently play on a knife's edge in possession as the current midfield with Jorginho as the anchor lacks the speed or strength to recover often forcing Chelsea defenders into last ditch tackles and losing the ball can have dire consequences.
The Thing About the Old Days…
A back-four, proper defensive midfielder, and Mount deeper, could work wonders for Chelsea’s attack.
Pulisic and Hudson-Odoi on the left. Sterling and Broja at center-forward, Havertz playing on the right but in possession drifting into the center of the Chelsea attack playing almost as a second striker and Ziyech as a traditional right wing option to cap it off.
No need for new attackers. As that’s six solid ones who if played to their strengths, could work wonders for Chelsea.
Tuchel even flirted with it on Sunday against Spurs. In possession, Chelsea played a back-four and Loftus-Cheek drifted from wing-back into the midfield to sit in front of Jorginho alongside Kanté.
Mount also dropped deeper to receive the ball with both Sterling and Havertz higher up the pitch. As for Havertz, he picked up the ball in good positions and was excellent in linking play while Sterling was great in holding the ball up as he was often the most advanced player.
There’s glimpses of the system changing, but Tuchel turning a blind eye to the need of a defensive midfielder and the lack of trust in a handful of attackers will only handicap Chelsea.
Tuchel’s side will be stout defensively but I reckon we’ll continue to be vulnerable out of possession, especially against strong counter-attacking sides.
Although Chelsea looked excellent against Spurs, one can only think that if defensive midfield was addressed and if Tuchel also played to the strengths of all of our attackers, things could be a lot lot better. As for now, onto Leeds.
