Chelsea’s first Champions League-winning manager met an untimely end after defeat at Juventus. Roberto di Matteo was sacked in the early hours of the following day. It was an undistinguished end for the man who had taken over a troubled team during a season and steered them to glory in inspired fashion.
There are certain similarities with Thomas Tuchel, but also distinct differences. The German remains at Stamford Bridge. He has far more managerial pedigree than Di Matteo, who forever appeared a catalytic caretaker.
But this has been the worst week of his time at Chelsea and not merely because it is only the second time he has suffered back-to-back defeats. That those losses came to Manchester City and Juventus can make them both more understandable, yet feel more significant.
Tuchel has been defined by his mastery of big games. His three wins against Pep Guardiola lent him the reputation as an extraordinary tactician with the sure touch to select the right option at the right time. This week has featured rare missteps.
Tuchel’s Chelsea were the kings of the 1-0, profiting by their ability to take one major chance and limit their opponents to few. Now they have experienced what it is like to be Tucheled.
Their return of a solitary shot in target over those 180 minutes, a tame early effort by Romelu Lukaku in Italy, was testament to the sort of defensive frugality and positional nous that Chelsea usually demonstrate.
They have been beaten by Tuchel-type tactics, by City’s high press that penned them in, by the timeless excellence of Leonardo Bonucci, the Thiago Silva of Turin.
The most incision Chelsea showed came in Tuchel’s post-match interview, in which he labelled defeat “strange”, said his side were “not sharp enough,” “mentally slow,” and lacked rhythm, intensity and runners. All of which illustrated the problems go beyond Lukaku missing two second-half chances against Juve. The £98 million ($132m) man has largely been starved of service.
Chelsea’s start to the season remains impressive: they have only conceded two league goals, and just one in open play, and they have won away at Arsenal and Tottenham. But the underperforming section of the side is the creative department.
The goals of Lukaku and various centre-backs and wing-backs and the assists of Mateo Kovacic have camouflaged their underachievement to some extent. But the various attacking midfielders and wingers have a combined total of two goals, from Kai Havertz and Christian Pulisic, and two assists, courtesy of Mason Mount and Timo Werner, in the Premier and Champions Leagues this season.
Newcastle and Wolves have had more shots in the domestic competition. Some 47 players have made more Premier League chances than any of Chelsea’s supposed specialist creators.
Juventus 1 Chelsea 0: player ratings
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JUVENTUS RATINGS: Wojciech Szczesny – 7, Has struggled to find form this season but was Allegri’s choice in goal against Chelsea, and was comfortable when needed, though his defenders largely dealt with any threats. Getty -
Danilo – 7, Benched against Sampdoria but proved to be an obstacle for Chelsea throughout as Ziyech and Havertz struggled to influence. AP -
Leonardo Bonucci – 7, The experienced defender is yet to miss a game this season and previous experience of playing against Lukaku proved to be key to keep the Belgium striker quiet. A lovely long ball from the 34-year-old sparked an immediate attack after the restart. AFP -
Matthijs De Ligt – 7, Chosen over experience in Chielleni to continue partnering with Bonucci, and had a busy night up against a lively Havertz. A part of a solid centre back pairing which made Chelsea’s attack struggle to make anything happen. Getty -
Alex Sandro – 7, Scored his first Champions League goal against Malmo in the last group game. Like Danilo, the Brazilian defender was aware of the danger on the wing and able to deal with the pressure. Given a new challenge when Hudson-Odoi came on but was largely confident. Getty -
Juan Cuadrado – 7, Looked inspired to prove himself against his old team as he looked lively throughout and proved to be a problem for the visitors. Always part of the action and caused plenty of trouble. EPA -
Rodrigo Bentancur – 6, Part of a go-to partnership in the centre but the quieter of the two. EPA -
Manuel Locatelli – 7, Caught in possession by Ziyech early on but proved to be a constant hurdle for Chelsea playing through the middle. Getty -
Adrien Rabiot – 7, Should have done better with his pass when Kovacic was intercepted, and the Frenchman was through on goal. Saw a shot after the half hour mark finish just over the crossbar. Beat Azpilicueta in the air in a lovely headed ball for Bernardeschi to run on to for the goal. Getty -
Federico Chiesa – 7, Raced on to Kovacic’s ball and saw his shot from a tight angle go wide to give Juventus their first real opportunity of the game. Only needed 11 seconds after the restart to put the Italian team ahead. Reuters -
Federico Bernardeschi – 7, Part of a makeshift front two as striker options for the Serie A side were limited. Showed great control in chesting down Rabiot’s ball to lose Jorginho and provide the assist for Chiesa’s goal. Put Cuadrado’s ball wide when he really should have doubled his team’s lead. AFP -
SUBS: Dejan Kulusevski (Bernardeschi 66’) 6 Came on as Juventus looked to double the lead. AFP -
Weston McKennie (Rabiot, 77’) N/R Couldn’t make any real impact on the game as his team defended their lead. AFP -
Moise Kean (Chiesa, 77’) – N/R Saw his shot blocked by Barkley as Juventus threatened for a second. EPA -
Giorgio Chiellini (Betancur, 84’) N/R No surprise that the experienced head came on as Juventus looked to see out the game and he had no problem doing so. Getty -
CHELSEA RATINGS: Edouard Mendy – 6, Kept his team in the game at the weekend but didn’t have too much to do in the first half, though he held on to Bernandeschi’s free-kick well just before half time. Getty -
Andreas Christensen – 6, Beaten by Chiesa just before half time. Happy to put his foot in but not the strongest defensive display. Getty -
Thiago Silva – 6, Came in to repeat the backline Chelsea ended with on Saturday, and saw a shot blocked in a surrounded box. Simply watched Bernardeschi run past for Juventus’ goal. AFP -
Antonio Rudiger – 7, Forced Chiesa wide as he ran through on goal for Juventus’ first shot. Solid at the back as Juventus started to get back in the game. Booked. Getty -
Cesar Azpilicueta – 6, Moved to right wingback in the absence of Reece James. Beaten in the air which saw Chiesa race on to put Juventus ahead. AFP -
Jorginho – 5, Made his 150th appearance in a Chelsea shirt but found himself often losing the ball and struggling to make a positive impact in the middle. Struggled to contain Bernardeschi for Juventus’ goal. A tough night in his homeland. Getty -
Mateo Kovacic – 5, A busy player in midfield. Saw an early shot easily stopped by Szczesny and nearly saw a costly error gift Chiesa an early chance on goal. Was too often guilty of losing the ball. Getty -
Marcos Alonso – 6, Looked shaky several times and was dispossessed several times during the first half. Booked for a push on Cuandrado within 18 minutes. AFP -
Hakim Ziyech – 7, Chosen to start as he continues to build match fitness following his shoulder injury last season, he proved to be a lively influence in the opening stages. Booked. AP -
Kai Havertz – 6, Was central to Chelsea’s efforts when it came to testing the Juventus back line and linking up with Lukaku. Unable to keep his late headers on target as his side ran out of time. Getty -
Romelu Lukaku – 6, Struggled against Bonucci and De Ligt. Should have directed his header better in the second half and would have normally scored his chance with 10 minutes to go. Getty -
SUBS: Ben Chilwell (Alonso 45’) – 6, The Englishman has struggled to break into the team, and he did little to impress here. Saw a miss-hit ball fly into the stands. Getty -
Callum Hudson-Odoi (Ziyech 62’) – 7, The livelier of the substitutions as he caused problems on the right wing. Getty -
Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Azpilicueta 62’) – 6 Part of a triple substitution but unable to help Chelsea get an equaliser. Getty -
Trevor Chalobah (Jorginho 62’) – 6 Played just in front in front of the centre back pairing, but couldn’t assert himself. Getty -
Ross Barkley (For Christensen 75’ ) – N/R Called upon by manager Thomas Tuchel in an attempt to cause a spark and get his men level. Proved to be the right man at the right time when he blocked Kean’s effort on goal. Getty
Injuries mean Pulisic has barely been seen while Callum Hudson-Odoi’s opportunities in his favoured forward roles have been limited.
Hakim Ziyech has been especially poor but neither Werner nor Havertz has shed the inconsistency of his debut year. Havertz was substituted at half-time at Anfield, albeit after Chelsea went down to 10 men, and benched against City, signs potential isn’t being converted into enough performances.
Tuchel erred in going for 3-5-2 against City and, while Mount has not been at his best, his absence for the last two games has illustrated his importance, his ability to find space between the lines and connect different parts of the team. Without him, they have looked disjointed, predictable and prosaic. Chelsea’s attack was isolated against City. Tuchel felt too cautious as he fielded three defensive midfielders.
Lukaku prospered in a 3-5-2 for Inter Milan last season but their manager, Antonio Conte, said this week: “At Chelsea, they don’t quite understand how to use him.” That appeared harsh and Lukaku should score plenty of goals, but the reality is that Chelsea require more. Otherwise, their matches will remain games of small margins where a solitary defensive lapse comes at a huge cost. Even a team as defensively well-drilled as Chelsea cannot always keep clean sheets.
Tuchel’s attention to detail helped propel Chelsea to Champions League success, but without being prolific. Now others have been similarly flawless against them, it underlines why they need more flair and excitement. Tuchel’s Chelsea have been defined by control, but they ought to ally it with more creativity.
