The usual heat was on for the London Derby, a much anticipated and special fixture especially for the Chelsea and Spurs fans. It has been over a week since Thomas Tuchel took charge as Chelsea head coach. So far so good, Chelsea have looked really good since the Tuchel era and have progressed since the first game under the new manager. This was undoubtedly the biggest match of the Tuchel era so far for Chelsea and they overcomed with a solid win. It was a much-needed win for Chelsea to further cement their trust and belief on the new manager’s ideas and plans going forward.
As expected, this was not the much exciting match as it was a derby match between two teams who didn’t want to lose… like we saw in the first leg which ended in a 0-0 scoreline. This was one of those games where we predicted how the game would pan out in terms of how both teams would play… Chelsea had more of the ball like we have seen so far under Tuchel. Chelsea dominated the possession in the first half, pinning Spurs in their own half and getting their reward with a penalty after a very good spell of very good play. Chelsea had the first half in their pockets… however, things changed in the second half as Spurs came out from their shell and took the game to Chelsea… as expected when a team didn’t take their chances, Chelsea had to suffer from the Spurs pressure but they managed to hold on to their precious 1 nil lead.
Exciting times for Chelsea fans as Tuchel has brought in a breath of fresh air in the squad. The team are playing really good football and are playing with confidence at the moment compared to what we saw some weeks ago before Tuchel was appointed. From what we have seen so far, this Chelsea team could return to being a force if they adhere to the philosophies and ideas of Tuchel. The players have shown that they have the qualities to do great things. Some players have risen up to the occasion since Tuchel took charge… most especialy players luje Hudson-Odoi, Kovacic, Jorginho etc… Above all, Chelsea still have a big task in front of them to continue to gain points as they keep their eyes in achieving their main goal of the season.