Chelsea's choice of Cristiano Ronaldo is evident as Thomas Tuchel's ideal attack materializes
Without Thomas Tuchel's tough transfer decisions this summer, Chelsea's offense might not have been as fluid in their 2-2 draw with Tottenham.
Following Chelsea's 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur and his somewhat theatrical altercation with Antonio Conte following the final whistle, it was obvious that Thomas Tuchel's body still had some adrenaline in it.
The German coach was unable to maintain perfect stillness in front of the cameras, shifting weight from foot to foot. However, his critique was succinct, straightforward, and—possibly most importantly—emphatically supportive.
The Chelsea head coach expressed his admiration for his team's performance to the club's internal media. "The intensity, the framework, the dedication, the discipline, the fighting spirit, and attitude in the face of every adversity. This was genuine hunger and excellence. Being a spectator was just the best.
Many fans were anxious before the game, which was the first at Stamford Bridge this season. In both their Premier League debut against Everton and both of their preseason games, Chelsea played slowly. Tottenham, on the other hand, appeared strong, alert, and completely responsive to Conte's demands.
But over the course of 90 minutes in sweltering west London, Chelsea's players put their critics to rest. The sole disappointment was that they did not win, which was largely due to their poor officiating but also due to slack marking in the dying moments from a Tottenham corner.
But being overly tough is unfair. The display was the Blues' greatest since their ultimately unsuccessful attempts in the August Champions League match against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu. The front three of Raheem Sterling, Kai Havertz, and Mason Mount continually gave Tottenham problems due to the enormous amount of energy invested both in and out of possession.
The trio alternated positions constantly. As shown in the touch map below, Sterling frequently dropped deep or wide, which allowed Havertz to go to the middle. One of Mount's teammates attackers would move into the space left by the academy grad if Mount felt comfortable moving across the field to receive the ball.
Despite Tottenham using a back three, gaps continued to arise, which let Jorginho in particular, to advance the ball into risky regions on the outskirts of the other team's penalty area. It's understandable why Tuchel was ecstatic about what he witnessed.
The finishing touch was all that was still required. That has been an issue for Chelsea for some time, and it all started with the controversial text message Conte sent to Diego Costa following his first campaign as manager at Stamford Bridge. The striker has never really been replaced by the Blues.
They have indeed made numerous attempts. Tuchel has also had a chance. Romelu Lukaku was acquired by Chelsea for a club-record £97.5 million from Inter Milan last summer, and the German quickly saw that Chelsea's attack had become much more predictable as a result of the Belgian's participation.
Lukaku since has returned to Inter on loan. Timo Werner has also departed this summer, rejoining RB Leipzig in a deal worth £25million. Chelsea is still interested in adding another forward to Stamford Bridge despite the addition of Armando Broja to the first-team roster.
Tuchel chose Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, which is hardly surprising given how well-liked they were at Borussia Dortmund. But several experts have advised Chelsea to pursue a more prestigious moniker, and if social media is any indication, they are far from alone in this desire.
"I find it incomprehensible that they chose not to pursue Cristiano Ronaldo. He simply checks all the boxes Chelsea is missing "Paul Merson of Sky Sports says. "It's not like playing for Manchester United, who start from the halfway line, when you represent Chelsea. Chelsea is at the top of the box and winning matches." Chelsea has incredible.
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