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Addicted to change: Chelsea's exciting qualifying analysis for the Champions League final

As with Grant in 2008 and with Di Matteo in 2012, the Blues once again advanced to the finals with an eight-man coach in the middle of the season.

The new spirit brought in by Thomas Tuchel upgraded all the lineups, bringing out the best in Angolo Canta and Thiago Silva.

After the German has already beaten Pep in the English Cup, the final is expected to be fascinating

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• Chelsea

• Thomas Tuchel

• Angulo Canta

• Tiago Silva

• Champions League

Michael Yochin

Thursday, May 06, 2021, 10:00 p.m.

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The instability in the coaching position is the most stable thing in Chelsea.

Pretty Matthew (Photo: GettyImages, Alex Livesey)

To be successful in Europe, Chelsea should change coaches. In 2008 she qualified for the Champions League final for the first time in its history with Abraham Grant surprisingly inheriting the sacked Jose Mourinho. In 2012 she won against all odds with Roberto Di Mateo Marching in place of Andre Villas Boasch. She is now on her way to a third Champions League final with Thomas Tuchel taking over the reins only in late January in place of Frank Lampard.

It does not end here, by the way. In 2013, when they first won the Europa League, Chelsea did so with interim coach Rafa Benitez replacing Di Matteo. And if that's not enough, long before Roman Abramovich learned to say Stamford Bridge, Chelsea won the holding trophy with coach-player Gianluca Viali replacing Rod Hulitt in the middle of the season. And that means only two Chelsea coaches have won a "despite" European venture that started the season on their own - Dave Sexton in the 1970 Cup Winners' Cup and Maurizio Sari in the 2019 Europa League. And the Italian was thrown out, of course, immediately after stroking the first medal of his life.

Because this is already a routine.

The instability in the coaching position is the most stable thing in Chelsea.

No one is immune there, and Tuchel - who is now in seventh heaven at the start of a brilliant term on any scale - is not expected to stay on the blue side of London until retirement.

It too will be replaced when the next crisis comes.

This club has become accustomed to frequent changes of direction, and tends to get a lot of positive energies when it happens.

If even Di Matteo created very positive momentum and swept the team to the historic trophy swing at Bayern Munich, it is clear that Tuchel had an even better starting point.

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To the full article

His obsession can be exhausting, but in the beginning he charms everyone.

Thomas Tuchel (Photo: Reuters)

The German is a charismatic and opinionated coach who knows how to turn on the players and lead them after him. Over time, his obsession can be exhausting, but at the beginning of his career he charms everyone - and remember how Borussia Dortmund stars, including Marco Royce and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, sang, how much Tuchel's training methods upgraded them even compared to Jürgen Klopp. It is also not surprising that Tuchel set a European record of 14 league victories at the start of the season when he arrived in Paris Saint-Germain. It tends to start as fast as possible, and the problem arises later, when attempts are made to slowly increase. Meanwhile, this is the ultimate honeymoon of Chelsea players with their coach.

Tuchel managed to create something extraordinary at this point - he upgraded Chelsea defensively and offensively at the same time.

In terms of home front, the figures are staggering by any standard.

Although it was the bizarre top five that the Blues absorbed at home against the unfortunate West Bromwich Albion with 10 players left and falling apart, beyond that Chelsea took five more balls from the net in all 23 other games with Tuchel.

Among other things, it has kept a clean sheet against Atletico Madrid (twice), Tottenham, Manchester United, Liverpool, Everton, Leeds, Manchester City, and yesterday also Real Madrid.

And while Edouard Mandy is a fantastic goalkeeper - an incredible upgrade compared to the coffee for which 75 million euros were paid - he was almost unemployed yesterday in the second half.

Even before the break, the Frenchman needed only two saves.

In contrast, ex-Chelsea Thibaut Courtois worked overtime, preventing a crushing defeat with his own hands and feet.

The result should have been much higher than 0: 2.

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He is also not counted at Lampard.

Christensen (Photo: Reuters)

The phenomenal improvement in defense occurred because Tuchel adapted the method to the operating souls. Lampard kept a back four, because that's what he's known from his days as a player. It was not ideal to say the least for Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rodiger not to be counted, let alone for Marcus Alonso who became irrelevant as a left-back - the Spaniard is effective only in a free role on the wing with a brake trio. And that's exactly what Tuchel did - the 2-5-3 move brought Rodiger and Christensen back on track, gave Tiago Silva the leader's box in the middle, and gave Cesar Aspliquata peace of mind as well - both as a right-back and a right-back.

"The defensive game is based on trust and courage. You can be bolder if you know your friends will back you up when you miss a tackle. Our players are very hungry for success, and do not allow the opponent to approach the goal. It gives us a good feeling, and so positive momentum develops," Tuchel added. Ar the start of March. It is even more valid after two months.

So yesterday Aspilicuata's confidence was so high that he made Zidane's round right in front of Zidane's own eyes, taking Chelsea out for a stylish outburst.

And speaking of the captain, in his ninth season at the club, this is the place to mention that alongside the disrespect towards coaches, Chelsea give a lot of respect to their veteran players.

The symbols are given proper treatment, even when the time comes to say goodbye.

So many of them prefer to stay at Stamford Bridge for years, and those who leave following the dream - like Eden Hazard, for example - find out in retrospect that it was not necessarily the right move for them.

Perhaps his greatest days are still ahead of him.

Canta (Photo: Reuters)

Angulo Canta, a humble guy with a particularly high work ethic, knows how to appreciate working conditions. He became a symbol as soon as he made his way through the stadium for the first time, and this homely feeling made him persevere even when he had more financially enticing offers. Paris Saint-Germain courted him vigorously, especially in the Tuchel era, but the Frenchman refused to return to his homeland. "I did not want it because I am happy at Chelsea," he explained. So Tuchel finally fulfilled the ambition when he joined him, and not the other way around. "I dreamed of this player, I longed to coach him, and now he's mine. He's great on every scale, just the player needed to win titles. And he won everything except the Champions League. So now is the time," the German enthused.

The dream also came true for Caneta.

He has demonstrated high ability for all his coaches, but Tuchel's approach is particularly suitable for him.

With a back three that backs him up, and Giorgini next to him, he feels much more comfortable joining the attacks, and has a free hand to do whatever he pleases.

The Frenchman was the man of the match last week in Madrid, and yesterday he was further upgraded.

He built the first goal - first with a double pass with Timo Werner and then with an assist for Kai Habertz.

He built the second goal with a steal and a measured depth ball to Christian Polishic.

He also missed a great opportunity to score on a burst when he developed Cristiano Ronaldo's speed at his peak.

A month after his 30th birthday, it's even more impressive, but who knows - maybe his biggest days are still ahead of him.

Will the man who decided the meeting in the cup find a place in the final?

Hakim Zeish (Photo: Reuters)

Take, for example, Thiago Silva who will play at the age of 36 in the Champions League final for the second time in a row - in different teams, but with the same coach. It is not known how much Tuchel was a partner in the decision not to extend the Brazilian stopper's contract at Saint-Germain, but sporting director Leonro informed the captain long before the end of the season. After excelling during the promotion to the final, the club changed its mind, however it was too late for Thiago to give his word to Chelsea. "I'm not breaking promises," he replied, and also a little offended: "Disappointing to be judged on a three-game basis after everything I've given for eight years." Now the reconnection with Tuchel has been formed, and the two hugged long after the final whistle yesterday. They write history together.

And that achievement feels even sweeter after they saw the Qatari ex unconditionally ousted by Manchester City on Tuesday. Now Pep Guardiola's team stands between them and the win, and they have already beaten it in the English Cup semi-final to destroy the Blues' ambition to win all four titles. It was Tuchel's first win over Pep, after attempts with Mainz and Dortmund in the Bundesliga failed, and the battle of minds between the two in Istanbul will be fascinating. Will there be a place for Hakim Zeish who decided the meeting in the cup? How will Guardiola match his lineup to the most cunning opponent one can meet in this class?

And maybe there is something boring in the final between teams from the same league, and in 2019 it was much more exciting to see Barcelona against Ajax and not Liverpool against Tottenham, but having a fresh Tuchel in his team adds a lot of interest.

It may be a finale from the movies, and the stadium itself promises a lot.

It was possible to fantasize about 3: 3, but somehow it does not feel realistic with Chelsea's defense.

Because Manchester City is not West Bromwich Albion.

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