Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea are Juventus’ greatest test in years

Barely 48 hours had passed before Thomas Tuchel was taking charge of his first game as Chelsea manager after succeeding club hero Frank Lampard.

His reign got off to what appeared on the surface to be a drab start: a 0-0 stalemate with Wolves in which the visitors probably had the better of the chances. Nevertheless, in that bore draw lied a distinct foundation for the meticulous German to build upon.

Unsurprisingly, Chelsea’s structure for Tuchel’s opener was fairly basic. His 3-4-3 became a 3-2-5 in possession and a 5-2-3 without it – much like Antonio Conte’s title-winning Chelsea outfit. While they seldom created chances, their positional play was impressive – with the five vertical channels occupied – and the close proximity of their attacking players allowed them to counter-press to the degree of suffocation.

The performance was unspectacular, but the Blues were compact and balanced. Two concepts Lampard often failed to facilitate during his 18-month reign, and a combination that would spearhead Chelsea’s rapid turnaround under their new boss.

Tuchel turns the tide

By the end of May, Chelsea were European champions having already secured a top-four finish in the Premier League. Tuchel’s job was far from impossible – Roman Abramovich had splurged over £200m on talent the previous summer – but, as we noted, he established a balance and inculcated a system that facilitated an imperious end to the 2020/21 season.

Tuchel’s system was merely teased in his opening game as Blues boss. Persistent upgrades and idiosyncrasies were swiftly grasped by the Chelsea players, as they evolved into a defensively stubborn unit. The previously unreliable Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen blossomed into stars alongside the timeless Thiago Silva.

The security of the German’s 3-4-3 allowed Jorginho to thrive in midfield having been ostracized by Lampard, while N’Golo Kante remained his all-encompassing self when fit.

Then, in attack, Tuchel had options at his disposal. Space interpreters Kai Havertz and Mason Mount pull apart defensive structures via shrewd movement and positioning all while possessing tremendous quality with the ball. Christian Pulisic is a wonderful dribbler, Timo Werner’s an invaluable outlet, Hakim Ziyech has a left-foot to die for, while the talent of Callum Hudson-Odoi is obvious to see. Even if it’s yet to manifest consistently following his Achilles tear.

Chelsea’s talent combined with Tuchel’s brilliant system, one that several sides (Belgium, Denmark, etc) attempted to replicate at the Euros, saw the Blues emerge as the Champions of Europe following a run that saw them dismantle eventual La Liga champions Atletico Madrid, Juventus slayers Porto, a wily Real Madrid and, of course, Manchester City in the final.

How they controlled the contest after going ahead against the Cityzens was remarkably impressive, with such resilience, resolve and control ubiquitous throughout Tuchel’s reign so far. They squeeze the life out of matches and it’s their defensive flexibility that makes them so tough to beat.

The Chelsea side Juventus are facing on Wednesday is one bolstered from their 2020/21 iteration. The addition of Romelu Lukaku from Scudetto victors Inter Milan highlighted Abramovich’s intentions. He wants to win the lot while he still has his hands on the German mastermind.

The Belgian’s been regarded as the missing link at Stamford Bridge. A player who could evolve a functional (yet brilliant) Chelsea side into an outright juggernaut. He has four goals in six starts following his £100m return and will lead the line against the Bianconeri.

Juventus’ daunting task

As for Juventus, they wouldn’t have faced a side like Tuchel’s Chelsea for years. Despite falling to a humbling 1-0 defeat to a brilliant Manchester City at the weekend, the Blues remain one of Europe’s best and there’s no doubting they’ll be competing on several fronts next May.

You’ll have to go back to Massimiliano Allegri’s first stint to when Juventus faced superior opposition. Erik ten Hag’s baby-faced Ajax were majestic, while Zinedine Zidane’s Real Madrid were all-conquering. Domestically, a comparison could be made with Antonio Conte’s Inter, but the Nerazzurri came unstuck in the Champions League. Maurizio Sarri’s Napoli were the most thrilling of watches and ran the Bianconeri close in 2017/18.

On Wednesday, Juventus will match up with this multi-faceted beast without two of its key stars. Paulo Dybala and Alvaro Morata have been ruled out, with youngsters Dejan Kulusevski and Moise Kean set to be given chances to blossom under the brightest of lights. It’s a free hit for the Bianconeri, and although vulnerabilities have been hard to discover in Tuchel’s side, a few cracks have started to manifest in recent weeks.

Has a blueprint emerged?

Against Tottenham, the Blues were stunned by Nuno Espirito Santo’s high-quality press in the first half. Their wing-backs were engaged high up the field, Spurs’ front three harried their centre-halves, while metronome Jorginho was stifled. Sure, Tuchel eventually worked his magic and Chelsea ran out comfortable winners, but a blueprint had emerged in those opening 45 minutes.

A week later, Pep Guardiola’s City produced a pressing masterclass to beat Chelsea 1-0 at Stamford Bridge. Will Juventus revise and execute the formula?

That seems unlikely considering what we’ve seen from Allegri so far. Instead, expect Juve to sit in their mid-to-low 4-4-2 block and attempt to transition via Federico Chiesa, Juan Cuadrado, Kulusevski and Kean. This will be tough, mind, considering just how compact Chelsea are in defensive transition.

Matching Tuchel’s 3-4-3/3-5-2 is also a possibility for Wednesday’s hosts. It’s a system we’ve seen Allegri switch to as a contingency plan in several games this season. However, no matter the depth of their block or system deployed; aggression is imperative, timing is pivotal and cohesion is a necessity if they’re to have any chance of picking up a result on Matchday 2.

Any plan will be difficult to master against Tuchel’s European champions. Even if it’s devised by the ultimate pragmatist in Allegri. This Chelsea side is superb, and nothing like Juventus has faced in years.