Andreas Christensen outlined to the Fifth Stand which new method implemented by Thomas Tuchel has improved Chelsea significantly.
Life in South West London has started superbly for the Blues boss. Four wins out of five, only one goal conceded and up to fourth in the Premier League.
Chelsea couldn’t have asked for much more from their new leader. Neither could Christensen, who is one of many members to rediscover his form thanks to Tuchel.
The 24-year-old defender stepped in for the injured Thiago Silva at the beginning of the month and hasn’t looked back since.
Tuchel has not only given his players a new lease of life, but Chelsea’s tactics and systems as well.
Christensen wanted to highlight the key philosophy that has improved his and the team’s way of playing.
“All the manager says is be comfortable,” he said. “If you don’t need to play the ball, you don’t have to.
“Wait for someone to come and take the ball, don’t take last second decisions, know what you’re going to do and make it happen.
“He said just be comfortable in ourselves. I have played in the middle of a three before and I’m quite comfortable there.”
It is certainly evident that Tuchel’s changes have injected an added confidence into the Chelsea squad.
Cesar Azpilicueta, Antonio Rudiger, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Timo Werner are among the list of individuals who are benefitting from this revolution.
Reverting back to an Antonio Conte-esque formation of 3-4-2-1 has enabled Chelsea to be defensively solid and dominant in possession.
Perhaps the only minor criticism is that they haven’t been frequently scoring, but this won’t matter if the results are right.
A real test of their metal comes next Tuesday as Chelsea face Atletico Madrid in the Champions League. Then we can see if Tuchel’s masterplan really is all it’s made out to be.
The Chelsea Chronicle View
I never had Christensen down as ‘confident’ player. He always struck me as fragile, a defender who’d rather make a nice pass than a mean tackle.
He’s begun to do both under Tuchel, which is the sign of a top manager that they can improve on individuals’ weaknesses.
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