Sports

Thomas Tuchel named Chelsea head coach

Published

3 years ago

January 26, 2021

Former manager at the Paris Saint-Germain, Thomas Tuchel, has been appointed as the new head coach of Chelsea.

The German was confirmed on Tuesday as the successor to Frank Lampard, who was sacked on Monday, according to Sky Sport.

It reported the club as saying Tuchel had signed an 18-month contract “with the possibility of an extension”.

Chelsea also confirmed that Tuchel would take charge of his first training session on Tuesday evening and will be in the Stamford Bridge dugout for Wednesday’s Premier League clash with Wolves.

“I would like to thank Chelsea FC for their confidence in me and my staff,” Tuchel told the club website.

“We all have the greatest respect for Frank Lampard’s work and the legacy he created at Chelsea. At the same time, I cannot wait to meet my new team and compete in the most exciting league in football.

“I am grateful to now be part of the Chelsea family – it feels amazing!”

Tuchel was available after his departure from the PSG, where he won back-to-back Ligue 1 titles and reached last season’s Champions League final before being replaced by ex-Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino.

The 47-year-old began his managerial career in Germany, going on to win the German Cup in 2017 with Borussia Dortmund, where he spent two years in charge following spells with Augsburg and Mainz.

Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia added, “It is never easy to change head coach in the middle of the season but we are very happy to secure one of Europe’s best coaches in Thomas Tuchel.

“There is still much to play for and much to achieve, this season and beyond. We welcome Thomas to the club.”

What to expect

Tuchel’s biggest asset is his tactical flexibility, according to goals.com. He is more focused on exposing weaknesses than adhering to one particular idea, making positional tweaks and wholesale formation changes – sometimes as many as half a dozen in a single game – to outwit the other team.

He most often uses a 4-3-3 formation, and although a 4-2-2-2, 3-5-2, and 4-1-4-1 have all been deployed frequently at various stages of his career, it is the 4-3-3, and its component parts, that provide the most accurate approximation of his tactical beliefs.

Perhaps the most likely system will be a 4-3-3 in which Jorginho – who Tuchel wanted to sign for PSG – plays at the base of midfield, with Mason Mount in the hybrid role and Mateo Kovacic or N’Golo Kante box-to-box.

Given the importance of pressing from the front, of dropping into the half-spaces, and of playing on the half-turn to advance with quick, vertical football, it seems likely a narrow front three will see Kai Havertz supported by Timo Werner and Christian Pulisic.

Then again, the 4-2-2-2 used regularly at PSG could be applied at Chelsea, with Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech out wide and Werner and Havertz, who played as false nine at Leverkusen, together up front.

Werner and Havertz are tailor-made for Tuchel’s Jurgen Klopp-inspired football, while the new Chelsea manager has also worked very effectively in the past with Pulisic at Dortmund and Thiago Silva at PSG.

Sports

Court orders Juventus to pay Ronaldo £8.3m

Published

22 hours ago

April 18, 2024

Trends Admin

Cristiano Ronaldo

Court orders Juventus to pay Ronaldo £8.3m

Juventus have been ordered to pay Cristiano Ronaldo £8.3m in owed wages by an Italian court.

Ronaldo, 39, agreed to defer wages when football in Italy was halted by the Covid pandemic in the 2020-21 season.

The Portuguese had claimed he was owed more than £17m by his former club.

Court orders Juventus to pay Ronaldo £8.3m

Sports

Arsenal need support, love, after Champions League exit – Arteta

Published

1 day ago

April 17, 2024

Trends Admin

Arsenal need support, love, after Champions League exit – Arteta

Mikel Arteta says he has to show his Arsenal side “support and love” after Bayern Munich knocked them out of the Champions League.

Joshua Kimmich’s second-half header in Germany gave Bayern a 1-0 win on the night, and a 3-2 aggregate victory in their quarter-final.

It was a second successive defeat for Arsenal, who lost control of the Premier League title race last Sunday as Aston Villa beat them 2-0.

“I wish I had the right words to say to the players to make them feel better. What I am going to do – and all the coaching staff too – is to be close to the players.” Arteta said.

“I feel so grateful to be the coach and to work with them every single day.”

Arsenal were chasing a first Champions League semi-final spot since 2009, with Arteta accepting his team were inexperienced at this stage of the competition.

This was their first quarter-final appearance since 2010.

“We haven’t played this competition for seven years and we haven’t been in this stage for 14 years,” he said. “There’s a reason for it.

“We want to do everything fast-forward, super-quick, in one season. I think we have the capacity and the quality to be in the semi-final because the margins are very small.

“Those margins are coming from something else that maybe we don’t have yet. We have to learn it.

“When you look historically, it took other clubs seven, eight or 10 years to do it. Today, that’s not going to make us feel better that’s for sure.”

The Gunners, who need City to drop points if they are to win the league for the first time since 2003-04, return to Premier League action at Wolves on Saturday.

“What I need to do is stand right next to them and give them support and our love and we have to pick it up because on Saturday we have a big, big game,” said Arteta.

“We are still playing for the Premier League. The Premier League is there and we really want it. We have to show now that we are capable of turning this around.”

Sports

It’s massive win, says Bellingham as Real Madrid knock out Man City from UCL

Published

1 day ago

April 17, 2024

Trends Admin

It’s massive win, says Bellingham as Real Madrid knock out Man City from UCL

Manchester City are out of the Champions League following a penalty shoot-out defeat they suffered Wednesday night in the hands of Real Madrid in an epic encounter at the Etihad Stadium.
After a 1-1 draw on the night that left the teams tied 4-4 on aggregate, Antonio Rudiger scored the winning spot-kick after Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic had their attempts saved to see the 14-time winners progress 4-3 in the shoot-out.
Rodrygo had given Carlo Ancelotti’s side the advantage on the night and in the tie with an early goal on the counter-attack but Kevin De Bruyne’s 76th-minute equaliser took the game into extra-time, in which neither heavyweight could deliver the knockout blow.
It was a back-to-the-wall effort by Madrid and Pep Guardiola’s reigning champions were applauded from the pitch even in defeat.

But their hopes of an unprecedented second successive treble are over. It is Madrid who face Bayern Munich in the last four.

Bellingham: This was beautiful

“It’s a relief because you put so much into the game,” said Bellingham, speaking to TNT Sports.

“To win the game was a massive reward.

“It is incredible. Moments like this are magic and it just comes down to mentality.”

Man City 1-1 Real Madrid (Agg 4-4, Madrid win 4-3 on pens)

Sky Sport