Tuchel, architect of the last European champion Chelsea, dismissed

Todd Boehly, new owner of Chelsea after the forced sale by Roman Abramovich, has shown that he does not have much patience.

Thomas Osborne
Thomas Osborne
07 September 2022 Wednesday 07:31
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Tuchel, architect of the last European champion Chelsea, dismissed

Todd Boehly, new owner of Chelsea after the forced sale by Roman Abramovich, has shown that he does not have much patience. After an irregular debut in the Premier League (three wins, one draw and two defeats) and an unexpected setback in the opening match of the Champions League at Dinamo Zagreb, the newly arrived manager has made her first important decision at the helm of the London club: the dismissal of Thomas Tuchel as manager of the team.

The sacking came at a meeting at the Cobham training center on Wednesday morning, and Tuchel's companions on the bench, Arno Michels, Zsolt Löw and Benjamin Weber, are expected to leave with him. He has not been the only victim of the first day of the Champions League: Domenico Tedesco will also cease to be coach of RB Leipzig, although in his case the situation is more justifiable, with only one victory in five Bundesliga games and two heavy goals this week.

"On behalf of everyone at Chelsea, the club would like to thank Thomas and his staff for their efforts during his time with the team. Thomas will have a secure place in Chelsea history by winning the Champions League, European Super Cup and the Club World Cup in its time here", begins the note published by the English team on its website. "Coinciding with the new owners' first 100 days at the helm of the club, continuing their hard work to carry Chelsea forward, the new owners believe it is time to make this transition. There will be no further comment until a new coach is presented", they explain.

Behind this decision, therefore, there seems to be an intention of the new owners to hit the table and be noticed. Todd Boehly understood that there were players who were not happy with the tactical ideas of the former Borussia Dortmund manager and took action on the matter. Sportingly, the causes are hardly understandable, despite the irregular start and the setback against Dinamo Zagreb. Tuchel, who last summer had renewed his contract until 2024, had the team in sixth position in the Premier and had just received his latest additions, Wesley Fofana and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. He had the support of players and fans, who are already expressing their surprise through social networks.

The German coach, architect of one of the best moments in Chelsea's recent history, did not have time to mold these new pieces to his always characteristic system. Under his command, the team demonstrated great solvency and displayed very intense and dizzying football to win the Champions League in 2021. Along the way they left teams from the entity of Atlético de Madrid, Real Madrid (whom they overwhelmed, not in the scoreboard, but with a game based on solidity, pressure and high pace) and Manchester City, who started as absolute favorites in the final. The Champions League was followed by the European Super Cup and the Club World Cup, in addition to The Best, UEFA's recognition of the best coach of the year. Insufficient arguments in the eyes of the new blue directive.

He recently started his second full season in charge of the team, after a creditable third place finish in the Premier League last year. Although it is true that they have not started at the level of the previous two years, losing points against Southampton and Leeds and drawing in a risque derby with Tottenham, it must be recognized that after the institutional earthquake that shook the club and the revolution in the locker room, with some six new faces in the starting eleven, Tuchel surely needed a margin of adaptation and action for the new project to start.

Todd Boehly and his team are determined to leave their mark on the sporting side, as Abramovich had already done in the previous stage, the most successful in the club's history. They have struck several blows in the transfer market (Marc Cucurella, Aubameyang, Fofana, Raheem Sterling or Kalidou Koulibaly) and now they decide to put their stamp on the bench as well. The truth is that, although the incorporations may be positive for the performance of the team, the prices paid have been exorbitant, surely well above the market value of all of them. Now they have made the decision to fire the person in charge of creating a European champion group out of nowhere. The names that are beginning to sound are those of Mauricio Pochettino and Zinedine Zidane, the two proven technicians who are available. According to The Guardian, Brighton manager Graham Potter is also interested.