For anybody who imagined a ruthlessness towards Chelsea managers had been consigned to the past with the departure of Roman Abramovich as the club’s owner, think again.
Under Abramovich, the club acquired a notoriety for impatience with the main man on the touchline, a job which changed hands 16 times in 19 years.
But the Russian-born owner at least kept his first manager, Claudio Ranieri, in situ for a full season. Thomas Tuchel, sacked on Wednesday morning, lasted just 100 days under the consortium, headed by US businessman Todd Boehly, that purchased the club in June.
Brighton manager Graham Potter is their preferred replacement and Chelsea are confident he will take the job once a release clause of around £12 million has been agreed with Brighton..
The decision to part ways with Tuchel was accelerated by Chelsea’s shock defeat at Dinamo Zagreb in Tuesday’s opening match of their Champions League campaign, a third away loss on the trot.
When Boehly and the Clearlake Capital Group committed over £4 billion to buying a club put suddenly on the market because of sanctions against Abramovich for his perceived links to the Russian government they anticipated a better start – not least after buying more than €270m worth of new players this summer.
It is not simply the inconsistent form that pushed Tuchel to the exit. There had been moments of discomfort as the co-controllers of Chelsea, Boehly and Behdad Eghbali, who were both in Zagreb, established their working relationship with Tuchel over a frenetic transfer window.
Boehly was hands-on in transfer negotiations and initially encouraging Tuchel to assume a different role in re-shaping the squad than the German had during the previous season and a half. In the Abramovich era, the job of manager had been more narrowly defined.
But over the last two months, Tuchel and Boehly disagreed over some potential signings and the manager spoke publicly about his frustrations in filling the squad’s gaps. Some of those were caused by the position Abramovich’s Chelsea found themselves in when UK-government and EU sanctions hit the club after Russia sent troops into Ukraine.
Dinamo Zagreb 1 Chelsea 0: player ratings
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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
Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen left, for Real Madrid and Barcelona, their contracts expired. Huge investments were made in two central defenders to replace them, but both Kalidou Koulibaly, signed from Napoli for £33m, and Wesley Fofana, from Leicester, have shown that adaptation to their new surroundings will be required. Koulibaly was sent off in his third game, the 3-0 loss at Leeds United.
The last goal Tuchel watched from the touchline as Chelsea manager would be Mislav Orsic’s, the Dinamo striker streaking away from Fofana during a forgettable Champions League debut for the 21-year-old, a £70m purchase.
“At the moment, everything is missing – a huge underperformance,” fumed Tuchel after none of his various tactical re-jigs pulled Chelsea back into the match.
Bottom of their group, Chelsea must now face the swift counter-attackers of RB Salzburg on Wednesday and then home-and-away fixtures against Italian champions AC Milan as they attempt, under a new manager or a caretaker, to recover their European campaign.
Tuchel will regard his last fixture in charge as especially poignant. In the same competition, less than 16 months ago, he guided Chelsea to the club’s joint-greatest triumph, defeating Manchester City in the final in Porto to deliver Chelsea’s second European Cup.
Tuchel had only taken over from the sacked Frank Lampard that January. “Thomas will rightly have a place in the club’s history, after winning the Champions League, the Super Cup and the Club World Cup,” Chelsea said in a statement announcing his departure.
The Champions League triumph was the German’s second successive final, having taken Paris Saint-Germain to runners-up spot in 2020. He was sacked by PSG 123 days later, his relationship with the club’s then sporting director, Leonardo having deteriorated.
Tuchel has an abrasive streak, one put on global, televised display during the 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur last month during a series of touchline confrontations with rival manager Antonio Conte, for which both were fined.
But supporters also admired his authority and diplomacy during the uncertain period last season when the club were constrained by sanctions and in an awkward limbo, up for sale.
Potter, whose effective use of a relatively low budget in guiding Brighton, promoted in 2017, to the fourth place in the Premier League they currently occupy, has impressed Chelsea’s new bosses for his composure and skilful man-management.
They are willing to settle the Englishman’s buyout clause if he agrees to join them. Consideration has also been given to Mauricio Pochettino, who succeeded Tuchel at PSG, worked in the Premier League at Southampton and Spurs, and, since he left Paris in July, is available.
