A thread on Thomas Tuchel - As described by himself and those who have worked with him.
This should be helpful to those who are unfamiliar with his methods and will hopefully help clear a few misconceptions.
Tuchel on his style of play — Creating a fundamental framework within which all players operate while also giving them the freedom to come up with their own solutions.
Tuchel on youth development — Young players need to face obstacles and come up with solutions to truly develop as players. Not everything should be taught or handed out on a silver platter.
Tuchel on his training methods — Repetition alone is not enough for players to become better. They need to face a series of different challenges and solve the accompanying problems. Thinking for oneself is very important.
Tuchel on managing players — At a club like PSG or Chelsea, you're likely to see some of the most promising attackers on the planet. Instead of remote-controlling them on the pitch, it is better to give them a basic framework followed by freedom.
Tuchel on motivating players — The likes of Neymar, Ousmane Dembele and Mbappe have supernatural talent. The duty of the coach is to challenge and motivate that talent to express itself by creating uniquely challenging circumstances.
Dani Alves (worked under Guardiola, Allegri and numerous other elite managers) on Tuchel — Comparisons to Pep, man-management ability and training methods.
Ilkay Gundogan in 2017 on Tuchel — In terms of training, the quality and detail, he was perhaps the best coach I've ever had.
Worth noting that Gundogan had already worked under Guardiola and Klopp at that point. Hefty praise indeed.
Those who are worried that Tuchel is another circuit-obsessed manager like Conte or Sarri can rest easy, Tuchel is on the opposite end of the spectrum.
Whereas Conte/Sarri don't trust their players enough to take their own decisions, Tuchel actively encourages improvisation.
In terms of improving players and tactical thinking, Tuchel is a genius. Like I said yesterday, he is right up there as the sharpest tactical mind of the Abramovich-era with Conte.
He is not stubborn either, he's a tactical chameleon who is ready to do whatever it takes to win.
Where can it go wrong? It is his abrasive personality that poses the biggest threat to his longevity here. Tuchel can start a fight in an empty room, he's that fiery. If he can rein things in and become more diplomatic, things will be a lot more promising.
While he did a great job integrating young players at Mainz and Dortmund, it remains to be seen how much of it was down to him and how much down to club policies.
It's better to give him some time and form our judgement based on what we see.
Also, there is no point predicting Tuchel's starting XI. He is not wedded to one system or formation and loves to switch things about. We could play a 3-4-3 one game, a 4-3-3 the next game followed by a 4-2-3-1. Again, wait and watch before jumping to conclusions.
Also, he needs to become better socially. At the heart of everything, football clubs are social beasts. The manager needs to connect with the fans as much as players. This is an aspect he was caught lacking at Dortmund, he needs to engage himself more with the fans.
Finally, he needs to become better politically. Sometimes, it's better to be diplomatic and accept defeat than fight your corner. This might be tough for someone as combative as Tuchel but it is something he needs to learn or things will go downhill fast.
There are plenty of highly promising signs as well as red flags with Tuchel. In all likelihood, we will be successful in the first 12-18 months before things start getting problematic.
But you tell me, isn't that every Chelsea manager? Let's enjoy the highs while they last.
That's the end of the thread, for now at least. If I find some more material, I'll update this thread.
I hope this was useful in giving people at least a brief idea of what Tuchel is as a manager - his methods, pros and cons. If you found it helpful, please share. :-)
Tuchel's talent identification is another drawback. The players that he specifically requested at his previous clubs - think of the likes of Schurrle and Kehrer - have tended to be failures.
For his own sake, he needs to be kept away from transfers. This could cause friction.
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Introducing Edouard Mendy – A thread on his strengths, weaknesses, areas to improve and fit at Chelsea.
The thread will mainly focus on three keepers – Alphonse Areola, Mike Maignan and Kepa Arrizabalaga - along with Edouard Mendy.
Data for Areola is from the 2018-19 season because he didn’t play enough in 19-20.
Data has been taken from the amazing people at @fbref.
While Mendy is a very solid shot-stopper, Alphonse Areola stands out as the best option in this regard. All 4 options play behind good defences and therefore face few shots.
Maignan is average and Kepa is bad at shot-stopping.
Let’s take an in-depth look at Kai Havertz – his strengths, weaknesses and tactical fit at Chelsea.
(THREAD)
Havertz’s progression since 2016-17, both in terms of actual and expected output, has been very promising. His creative metrics in particular have seen an improvement in the 2019-20 season.
He seems to be a naturally skilled finisher too, judging by his xG over-performance.
His performance metrics such as shots and dribbles have gradually improved with time too. Development isn’t linear and he has regressed in some metrics but that is how players grow.
His penalty box touches has increased over the seasons as he has moved closer to goal.
Amidst all the hype for Werner and Havertz, let’s not forget how good Hakim Ziyech is. Chelsea are signing one of Europe’s best creators for just £35m.
Ziyech’s variety of passes and output is absurdly good, even accounting for the Dutch league. Bonkers.
(THREAD)
Looking at the chart, one thing stands out – Ziyech is a master at the whipped pass from the right channel.
If Werner and Pulisic make the right runs, they will feast with Ziyech supplying them. Add in Reece James’ crossing from RB and it could be something special.
Besides his signature whipped pass, he is also excellent at taking set pieces. We’ve had some average (to put it kindly) set piece takers over the past few seasons, Ziyech is on a different level compared to the players we have had taking our free kicks and set pieces.
The season is finally over and Chelsea have made top 4. Let’s chart our progress over the past 12 months and compare it to last season to see how much the team has improved. (THREAD)
First up, our basic numbers. Lampard lost Eden Hazard, one of the 5 best players on the planet when he left Chelsea, and replaced him with a bunch of under-21 players.
The result? Chelsea have somehow become even better going forward. 76.23 xG is an absolutely *elite* tally.
Chelsea’s xG of 76.23 was the third highest in the league behind usual suspects Liverpool and Man City.
This is the highest xG Chelsea have recorded in a single season since xG became available (in 2014-15) and the first time Chelsea have crossed 70 xG.
Let's take a detailed, comprehensive look at under-24 strikers from the top 5 leagues. This study considers both conventional centre forwards as well as players who switch between the wings and the central "9" role.
Data thanks to the brilliant @fbref as always! (THREAD)
Output is fundamental for any young striker and the sustainability of a striker's output can be measured in xG and xA. The graph shows us that Haaland and Gabriel Jesus have superb movement while Werner is a considerable all-round threat. #BVB#MCFC#RBL
Does your favourite young striker like getting on the ball, and if so, where does he get the ball? Werner loves being involved in general play while strikers like Tammy and Lautaro prefer taking few touches, with most of them being in the box. #RBL#CFC#Inter