Thiago Button strikes again
Had Thomas Tuchel got his way in the summer of 2020, Thiago Silva would never have become a Chelsea player. Instead, he would've remained at Paris Saint-Germain, the French club at which Tuchel was in charge and that the Brazilian has spent the previous eight years with.
Yet PSG sporting director Leonardo had made his decision. It was time for Silva to move on, time for the Ligue 1 giants to lean on younger defenders. "It was the moment to count on Marquinhos and [Presnel] Kimpembe," he said.
Chelsea swooped in and offered Silva a one-year contract with the option of a further season. It has proved a remarkable piece of business.
Silva was near-flawless during his debut campaign at Stamford Bridge. He impressed under Frank Lampard but went up another level in the heart of a back three under Tuchel. That the 37-year-old finally won the Champions League was just reward for his performances.
Chelsea triggered the year option in Silva's contract in the summer. He has since extended that deal for a further 12 months. It will keep him at the club until 2023.
Silva is completely settled at Chelsea and is understood to have privately conceded he should have come to the Premier League earlier in his career. Not that he hasn't made up for lost time.
His performance against Tottenham Hotspur yesterday oozed class. Never out of position, never hurried in possession, and always in communication with those around him, the defensive clinics put on by Silva have become commonplace at Stamford Bridge.
Even though he is approaching his forties, Silva is one of the Premier League's best centre-backs. It's why Tuchel has labeled him the "Benjamin Button of football". That he pops up with an important goal or two has also proved hugely important to Chelsea.
Silva scored against Spurs earlier in the campaign at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and repeated the trick yesterday. In the process, he became the oldest player to score in the Premier League since Ryan Giggs found the net for Manchester United against Queens Park Rangers in February 2013.
Challenge laid down to Ziyech
For far too long, Hakim Ziyech's best performance at Stamford Bridge had come wearing an Ajax shirt. Fortunately, that is no longer the case.
Deployed on the right of an attacking three – his favoured role – Ziyech flourished and was tormentor-in-chief against Tottenham yesterday.
Yes, his goal was stunning; a moment of pure genius worthy of winning any match. But it was his overall performance that was most pleasing – no Chelsea player registered more shots (5), had more final third entries (10), played more passes in the final third (28), delivered more crosses (9), won more duels (8) and attempted more tackles (4).
This was the Ziyech Chelsea supporters expected when he arrived from Ajax, the reason he was nicknamed 'The Wizard' during his time in Dutch football.
"I think it was one of my best [performances in a Chelsea shirt]," he admitted after the 2-0 win.
The challenge is now for the 28-year-old to build on this performance, as Tuchel accepted after the game. He said: "It was one of his best matches because he was very reliable.
"It was also maybe his best position to be on the wing. We had the wide position on the right, that position does not normally exist in that particular manner when we play 3-4-3, it is more of a wing-back role.
"Maybe we can think about doing this. It was good because it gave him the opportunity to take risks where it was possible to take risks. He was very reliable on the ball in moments where it is necessary.
"The work rate was always outstanding. You can always rely on him for work-rate and counter-pressing. So yes, well done and he needs to keep on going like everyone else."
Tuchel tweaks pay off
Prior to his arrival in English football, Tuchel was known for his tactical flexibility. At Mainz, his side would change shape from game to game and would also transform mid-match depending on the scoreline.
At Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain, meanwhile, there was no set system; Tuchel would again decide based on what he felt would harm and restrict the opposition most.
That hadn't been the case at Chelsea. Tuchel decided on 3-4-3 on the plane over from Paris last January and it helped Chelsea win the Champions League and the UEFA Super Cup. Yet due to injuries and Covid cases in the squad, he was forced into a change earlier this month.
Tuchel went with a back four against Tottenham in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg and it paid off – the Blues won that game 2-0 at Stamford Bridge and were comfortable.
That Tuchel opted to stick with the 4-4-2 shape for the second leg, however, was a bigger indication of the Chelsea head coach's willingness to push and test his side.
There was a belief Tuchel would revert to a back four yesterday but few expected Chelsea to be deployed in a 4-1-4-1 shape with Jorginho used as a lone six, Mason Mount and Mateo Kovacic as number eights, and Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ziyech on the flanks.
Somewhat inevitably, there were a few teething problems with Chelsea's possession game. And after Jorginho failed to slip through a pass to Romelu Lukaku, Tuchel got the Italian's attention before telling him to calm down, to remain patient.
Jorginho raised a hand in apology and he and his teammates went about the remainder of the opening period in a far more controlled but threatening manner.
Tuchel's decision to change shape was more than vindicated as several players produced strong displays in what they would consider their natural positions. And that was something the Chelsea boss highlighted after the game.
"We tried a 4-1-4-1 today because we tried a 4-4-2 against them in the first match and that gave us an advantage but then they reacted to it in the second match," Tuchel explained.
"We thought maybe this approach could be an approach to give the players a solution after the last matches and we had the players for the formation, players in shape, players who wanted and should be on the pitch, and good positions for them.
"It gives us more options than only playing a 3-4-3 and we don't decide now[whether to stick with 4-1-4-1 going forward], but it was well done."
Chelsea supporters have almost certainly not seen the end of the 3-4-3; Tuchel values that system because it protects the physical limitations of Silva and Jorginho while also ensuring matches can be controlled.
But the fact Tuchel has now added new strings to Chelsea's bow feels important for the remainder of the season. It makes the Blues unpredictable, something of a wildcard. And no opposition head coach will like that.
