Report: What dropped Chelsea players thought about Tuchel's first training session
Thomas Tuchel ensured a majority of his Chelsea squad were singing from the same song sheet despite leaving many of them out for his first line-up.
The Athletic reported that Tuchel had left a good impression on those individuals who had not been selected for his maiden game in charge.
They spoke positively about the Germans opening training session with the team and how he approached the difficult conversation of dropping players.
The Athletic also added that all Chelsea members attended a tactical meeting and were encouraged by what they saw.
Tuchel’s curtain-raiser was not the emphatic start everyone would’ve hoped for, a drab 0-0 draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Stamford Bridge.
Little can be made of this result considering the manner of Tuchel’s arrival. Similar judgements should not be made about his starting line-up either.
He described he choices to BT Sport as “totally unfair” and the “most unfair line-up we’ll do” because he had no reason to exclude anyone.
Understandably, he opted for experience over youth – which was usually the opposite method of his predecessor, Frank Lampard.
Cesar Azpilicueta, Jorginho and Olivier Giroud were all reinstated whilst Mason Mount, Tammy Abraham and Reece James fell to the bench.
Christian Pulisic was also demoted, whilst Timo Werner wasn’t used at all. The aforementioned quintet were all regulars under Lampard and there was a worried consensus Tuchel would overlook the homegrown British talent.
However, it seemed Callum Hudson-Odoi was the greatest beneficiary of Tuchel’s arrival.
The 20-year-old played a full 90-minutes for only the fifth time this season and was easily Chelsea’s best performer, despite being deployed as an unconventional wing-back.
Evidence suggests that for now he has everyone on board.
The manager has four days to properly implement his style before Chelsea host Burnley on Sunday.
The Chelsea Chronicle View
It’s heartening to hear that Tuchel has not instantly caused shockwaves throughout the Chelsea side.
After the fractions that were apparently emerging during Lampard’s tenure, the only solution is to unite the group again and have everyone feeling like they are part of a project.
