It is 697 minutes and counting. Chelsea have seven consecutive clean sheets under Thomas Tuchel. The last time they conceded, to Southampton’s Takumi Minamino, was also the only occasion an opponent scored against them in the German’s reign of frugality.
Factor in a comical own goal by Antonio Rudiger, rendered still more of an aberration by the rest of Chelsea’s defending, and they have only been breached twice in 14 games.
Tuchel has become the first manager ever in the Premier League to begin with six successive shutouts at home. Since his appointment, Chelsea have conceded two top-flight goals, everyone else at least seven; Jose Mourinho remains Stamford Bridge’s definitive defensive strategist but his Tottenham have given up 13 goals.
It can feel as if Tuchel exists as an indictment of Frank Lampard and his sacked predecessor’s side let in 77 goals in 57 league games; last season’s tally of 54 was thus both a 23-year high and a historic low.
If there were times when Lampard seemed to be casting around in search of a solution, first demoting Rudiger to fifth-choice centre-back and yet ending his reign with the German in his league line-up, the solidity under Tuchel has generated the right sort of dilemma: now he has too many compelling choices.
His defensive record is all the more admirable as Thiago Silva, Chelsea’s best centre-back, has only featured for 216 minutes of his tenure. The Brazilian’s only contribution to the last 11 games have been his entertainingly animated celebrations in the stands against Atletico Madrid. First Rudiger and Cesar Azpilicueta were revitalised: the captain, often dropped for Reece James by Lampard, has been revived by the return to an Antonio Conte-esque back three. Others have slotted seamlessly into the system.
Silva’s deputy Andreas Christensen was shortlisted for the Premier League’s player of the month award for March and, to indicate what a shift in his fortunes that is, it is worth noting that he did not begin a top-flight game at all in January or November, while Chelsea conceded three goals in his solitary October outing.
The Dane played in September’s calamitous first half-hour against West Bromwich Albion, when Chelsea went 3-0 down; Marcos Alonso, who was substituted at half-time, tried to watch the rest of the game on the bus and was not selected by Lampard in his final four months, has since been rejuvenated as a wing-back.
Saturday’s reunion with a now goal-shy West Brom promises another clean sheet but Tuchel’s side have scarcely had their path eased by the fixture list. Those seven consecutive clean sheets include two against Atletico and others against Manchester United, Liverpool, Everton and Leeds.
The highest expected goals against Chelsea in that time, and in Tuchel’s time, nevertheless came against Sheffield United in the FA Cup. Edouard Mendy has made some fine saves but there have only been 32 shots on target against Tuchel’s Chelsea.
The fact that Chelsea have only scored 17 goals in those 14 matches, while incorporating an extra centre-back, has led to accusations they are a safety-first side. Their captain defended his manager. “Well, being defensive? There are lots of opinions on that,” Azpilicueta told the club’s matchday programme. “Some might think that being defensive is just to have the team as deep as you can and put a lot of bodies in the way. But our way of defending has been completely different. We’ve been trying to be in the other half of the pitch. The further the opponents are from our box, the less dangerous they are – that’s obvious.”
If that underlined the importance of the midfield, Tuchel’s fondness for a “double six,” two defensive players to protect the centre-backs from counter-attacks and allow the wing-backs to roam ahead of them. That N’Golo Kante recovered the ball 13 times against Atletico, the most by any Chelsea player for three years, amounted to high-class shielding. That Mason Mount has been used further upfield shows Tuchel wants a duo who are behind the ball.
His system was planned on a plane before he arrived in England but he claimed three weeks ago: “It is not about parking the bus.” Perhaps, then, it is more about the coach than the bus.
