Thomas Tuchel sacked by Chelsea following Champions League defeat

A 1-0 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb the final straw for Chelsea's new owners

Thomas Tuchel was sacked as Chelsea manager on Wednesday, September 7, 2022. PA

Thomas Tuchel after Chelsea's Champions League defeat to Dinamo Zagreb at the Maksimir Stadium in Croatia on Tuesday, September 6, 2022. AP

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel is shown a yellow card by referee Istvan Kovacs during the Champions League match against Dinamo Zagreb. Reuters

Thonas Tuchel during the Champions League match in Zagreb. EPA

Thomas Tuchel has been sacked as manager by Chelsea. AFP

Thomas Tuchel, left, with Chelsea's Raheem Sterling at Stamford Bridge. AP

Thomas Tuchel talks to Mateo Kovacic during the match against Southampton. EPA

Tottenham coach Antonio Conte, right, and Thomas Tuchel were involved in an ugly clash at Stamford Bridge on August 14, 2022. AFP

Thomas Tuchel clashed with Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte. Reuters

Chelsea have sacked manager Thomas Tuchel following their 1-0 Champions League defeat to Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday.

Tuesday's match was the German's 100th match in charge but was the latest in a string of disappointing results this season, with Chelsea having suffered two Premier League defeats in their first six matches too.

New owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali have worked hard all summer to impose their authority at Stamford Bridge, but sacking a manager who guided the club to the Champions League title 15 months ago represents the boldest and most sweeping change yet.

Chelsea said in a statement: "On behalf of everyone at Chelsea FC, the Club would like to place on record its gratitude to Thomas and his staff for all their efforts during their time with the Club. Thomas will rightly have a place in Chelsea’s history after winning the Champions League, the Super Cup and Club World Cup in his time here.

"As the new ownership group reaches 100 days since taking over the Club, and as it continues its hard work to take the club forward, the new owners believe it is the right time to make this transition," the statement continues.

It added there will be no further comment on the matter until a new head coach appointment is made.

Dinamo Zagreb v Chelsea ratings

DINAMO ZAGREB PLAYER RATINGS: Dominik Livakovic 7/10: Will be happy with his clean sheet. Made a double save to keep the visitors at bay and did the basics well. Good showing. AP

Stefan Ristovski 6: Did what was required. Probably slipped under the radar, but did his job well and made no obvious errors during the game. EPA

Josip Sutalo 8: Looked very comfortable on the ball and won the majority of his duels. Another impressive defender for Zagreb on the night, with Sutalo putting Chelsea’s backline to shame. AFP

Dino Peric 7: Very solid, making a number of crucial blocks and challenges. Played his part in a resolute defensive performance from the hosts. AFP

Josip Misic 7: Did well and managed to find a Zagreb shirt consistently, with his short-range passes often starting attacks for the hosts. AFP

Sadegh Moharrami 5: Looked a little suspect defensively. Enjoyed plenty of space higher up the pitch in the first-half, but did not enjoy having Havertz running at him. Getty

Luka Ivanusec 6: Did not put a foot wrong but was also fairly anonymous. Looked a tidy player on occasion. AP

Arijan Ademi 7: Drove the hosts forward and led his team well. Will be thrilled that he captained the hosts to such a memorable win. AP

Robert Ljubicic 8: Had the better of Reece James for the majority of the night, which is no mean feat. Consistently buzzed around and looked a threat. AFP

Bruno Petkovic 9: Chelsea’s centre-halves could not deal with the target-man at all. Won his aerial duels, especially against Koulibaly, and won the flick-on which led to the winner. Fantastic, classic target-man showing from Petkovic. AFP

Mislav Orsic 8: Linked up very well with Petkovic and Chelsea’s defence struggled to keep him quiet. Took his goal well and consistently threatened to add to his tally. AFP

SUBS: Rasmus Lauritsen (Moharrami 76’) 6: Slotted in nicely as he helped Zagreb restrict Chelsea to limited chances. EPA

Dario Spikic (Orsic 77’) 6: Added fresh legs to the encounter to help Zagreb secure the win. EPA

Martin Baturina (Ademi 89’) N/A: Did not have enough time to stamp his authority on the game, but helped the hosts hold on. AFP

Josip Drmic (Petkovic 90’+8) N/A: Came on in the dying embers of the game and saw Zagreb over the line. AFP

CHELSEA RATINGS: Kepa Arrizabalaga 7: Made a world-class save to deny Zagreb a second just before the hour-mark as he tipped a goal-bound effort onto the bar. Could not have done much for the goal, though possibly should have waited longer before racing out. A decent showing by the Spaniard. AP

Cesar Azpilicueta 4: Struggled throughout the first-half and looked like he could not adapt to the pace of the game. Looks too slow and was exploited many times by the Dinamo forwards. Subbed at half-time as Chelsea changed shape. AFP

Wesley Fofana 4: Brushed aside too easily by Orsic, with the defender looking like he was running through treacle. Gave the ball away too easily and did not bring any composure to the Chelsea defence. EPA

Kalidou Koulibaly 4: His missed header led to the flick-on that saw Orsic break the deadlock. Struggled to deal with Petkovic who outmuscled and outcompeted Koulibaly on many occasions - especially in the first-half. AP

Reece James 6: A steady showing from the Chelsea full-back. Almost dragged them level, but saw his effort cannon off the post. Cut a frustrated figure at times. AFP

Mason Mount 3: Has endured a difficult start to the season and that continued, with the midfielder struggling to impress. Bypassed far too much by the Zagreb midfielders and was too predictable when going forward. His form will be a major concern for Thomas Tuchel. Getty

Mateo Kovacic 8: On his return to Zagreb, Kovacic looked head and shoulders above his teammates. Consistently won the ball back, showcased by his 100 per cent tackles won percentage in the first-half, and constantly looked to get on the ball to drive the visitors forward. His passing accuracy was a big positive, considering his midfield counterparts were struggling to find a teammate consistently. AFP

Ben Chilwell 7: Made a number of dangerous runs that left space for Sterling to take up, but he could not be a consistent threat. Did his defensive duties well and tried to push Chelsea forward, on what was a frustrating evening for the Blues. Getty

Kai Havertz 5: Did look lively in the first-half, but faded as the game went on. Did not look threatening enough and was dealt with well by the Zagreb defence. Another Chelsea player struggling to find his top level. AFP

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang 4: Should have shot when presented with a chance twice in the first-half, but opted to pass instead. Linked up well with the midfield, but did not do enough to get himself on the scoresheet. Early days at Chelsea for the 33-year-old. AP

Raheem Sterling 3: For a player who can be devastating on his day, Sterling was near enough anonymous before being subbed off. Sloppy on the ball and wasteful in good positions, it was an evening to forget for the forward who was well below his usual high standards. AFP

SUBS: Hakim Ziyech (Azpilicueta 45’) 3: Came on at half-time as Tuchel changed shape, but it did not pay off. Ziyech was sloppy on the ball and his body language showcased a player who did not have the drive to turn the game around for his side. Substituted on to change the game, but ended up being ineffective for the visitors. Reuters

Armando Broja (Aubameyang 59’) 5: Not able to influence the game as Chelsea succumbed to defeat. AFP

Jorginho (Kovacic (59') 4: Struggled to get involved in the midfield and offered little creative threat as Chelsea struggled to create a clear-cut chance for an equaliser. EPA

Marc Cucurella (Chilwell (71') 6: Slotted in nicely, but could not change the visitors’ fortunes. AP

Christian Pulisic (Sterling (75') N/A: Did not have adequate time to change the game as the hosts held on for the win. AP

Tuchel is the second Premier League manager to be fired this season — Bournemouth sacked Scott Parker last week — but news of the German's departure will still have come as a shock to most Chelsea fans despite an indifferent start to the season.

The consortium led by Boehly and Eghbali paid a world-record sports franchise £4.25 billion to buy Chelsea from Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich at the end of May.

The ambitious US magnates are in the process of overhauling every aspect of the Blues’ operation, and have acted quickly to unseat Tuchel.

The highly-regarded German coach has overseen three defeats in seven matches in the new campaign, after the Blues invested a one-window Premier League record £273 million to revamp the squad, recruiting the likes of Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Tuchel played a key role in Chelsea’s recruitment this summer, with Boehly acting as interim sporting director as well as chairman.

Dinamo Zagreb's Dino Peric celebrates with Dominik Livakovic after the 1-0 Champions League victory against Chelsea on September 6, which turned out to be Thomas Tuchel's last match as manager. Reuters

Dinamo Zagreb's Josip Misic celebrates after the match. Reuters

Dominik Livakovic of Dinamo Zagreb celebrates. Getty

Dino Peric of Dinamo Zagreb celebrates after the match. Getty

Dinamo Zagreb players acknowledge the fans after their victory. Getty

Dinamo Zagreb's Mislav Orsic scores their first goal in the Champions League Group E clash with Chelsea in Zagreb. Reuters

Dinamo Zagreb's Mislav Orsic celebrates with teammates after scoring their first goal. EPA

Chelsea coach Thonas Tuchel reacts. EPA

Chelsea's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is amused during the match. AP

Supporters of Dinamo light flares. EPA

Chelsea defender Reece James controls the ball. AFP

The former Paris Saint-Germain coach also steered Chelsea through the mire of UK Government sanctions from March to May last season, amid the wider impact of Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Tuchel arrived in London in January 2021 after the club parted ways with Frank Lampard.

In his first season, the former Borussia Dortmund manager took Chelsea to the FA Cup final, where they were beaten by Leicester City.

Disappointment quickly turned to joy though as Tuchel guided Chelsea to the Champions League title, Kai Havertz's goal clinching a 1-0 win over fellow English club Manchester City in the final.

Tuchel was rewarded with a contract extension to 2024 and the Blues improved to a third-place finish last season. They were knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final and lost to Liverpool in the FA Cup final.

The Blues’ search for a new sporting director continues, with former Liverpool supremo Michael Edwards still the long-term target.

Now the Blues need a new manager at the Stamford Bridge helm, with Brighton boss Graham Potter and former PSG and Tottenham coach Mauricio Pochettino among the early candidates.

Chelsea take on Premier League rivals Fulham at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.