Thomas Tuchel has rehabilitated Chelsea and their players to the extent they are once again pushing for Champions League football.
Four wins out of five and only one goal conceded is a rock-solid return for a manager who only took over the club last month.
Improved performances have lifted the mood around Stamford Bridge, which was covered by a grey cloud of concern.
Results are not the only thing to have been lifted by the German coach. Here are three players who have turned a new page thanks to Tuchel’s teaching.
Timo Werner
One of the underlying reasons Frank Lampard lost his job was because he failed to profit on Timo Werner’s undeniable ability.
He struggled to find a system that best suited the summer signing.
Lampard had little choice but to consistently pick Werner following his big-money move and £170,000 per-week (Spotrac) wage, which perhaps impounded the problem further.
Tuchel has seemingly found the perfect position for his fellow countryman. Now deployed as no.10 instead of the loan striker, less responsibility weighs on Werner’s shoulders.
His movement and energy levels looked to have increased.
More importantly, so has his goal tally, which finally hit double digits against Newcastle United last weekend.
Antonio Rudiger
At the start of this season, many would’ve answered Antonio Rudiger when asked who Chelsea’s best centre-back was.
Thiago Silva’s introduction and Kurt Zouma’s renaissance dampened those claims, going as far to say Rudiger was close to leaving the Blues.
Fast forward to the present day and Rudiger returns to the top of Tuchel’s defensive assets. He’s featured in all five fixtures since the German took over, having been brought off the bench at half time against Barnsley.
Rudiger looks reliable once more both in and out of possession. This can only be contributed to the faith intrusted into him by Tuchel.
Callum Hudson-Odoi
Perhaps the biggest tactical change of them all is Callum Hudson-Odoi’s emergence as an auxiliary wing-back.
Despite having never previously played there before, the 20-year-old took to the role like a duck to water.
It actually seems the ideal job for him on paper. Licence to attack at will, knowing he has the speed to recover in defensive situations.
Confidence was never an issue for Hudson-Odoi, but Tuchel seems to have added an extra dimension to his already multi-side game.
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