Chelsea’s newest manager faces the most successful in their history on Wednesday. And while Thomas Tuchel downplayed the contest between present against past, the prospect of facing Jose Mourinho would have long seemed a meeting of different worlds.
Mourinho arrived at Stamford Bridge in 2004, famously pronouncing himself a “Special One” after winning the Champions League with Porto.
Tuchel was a youth-team coach at Stuttgart then. Now the German has the more recent experience of success, winning two league titles since Mourinho’s last and reaching August’s Champions League final with Paris Saint-Germain.
Tuchel’s pressing game feels very contemporary whereas Mourinho’s more cautious approach can feel more anachronistic. The newcomer was keen to avoid a comparison, however.
“I strongly believe that it's Tottenham against Chelsea, not me against Jose,” he said.
“Honestly, when I started my career he was so far away, like the moon from the earth, so he could not be a role model at all. I was coaching in an academy and was then promoted to first-league football, from there on I just enjoyed every day.”
Mourinho turned 58 this week and if questions about his decline have abounded in recent years, they have increased after successive demoralising defeats, Tuchel remained diplomatic.
“I have no doubts he is one of the best managers in the world,” he said. “Jose is a winner and I want to implement the same in my teams.”
That tactfulness extended to the subject of Dele Alli, a player exiled by Mourinho, who Tuchel had wanted to take to Paris Saint-Germain in the summer but who he was reluctant to discuss.
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Brighton v Tottenham player ratings
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BRIGHTON RATINGS: Robert Sanchez 7 – Sanchez was sparked into action after the break and saved well twice from Vinicius. The Spaniard probably expected a busier evening. AFP -
Ben White 8 –Another accomplished performance. Kept Son, Bale and Bergwijn quiet for much of the game and restricted the Tottenham attack to long-range efforts. Saw an effort saved by Lloris at the other end. AFP -
Adam Webster 7 – Had a great tussle with Gareth Bale. Beat the Welshman for pace on more than one occasion and was rarely troubled. Blocked a shot from Son with his chest, though Spurs argued the case for a penalty. Reuters -
Lewis Dunk 7 – Solid at the back, he came close to scoring but had to watch Bale clear his header off the line. Unbeatable in the air. AFP -
Joel Veltman 7 – Very solid on the right-hand side and looked to get forward on the overlap. AFP -
Pascal Gross 8 – Had the first chance of the game but saw his effort hit the post as he seized on some statuesque defending from the visitors. Ten minutes later, he pulled the ball back for Trossard to open the scoring. Classy performance in the middle. Reuters -
Yves Bissouma 8 – The defensive midfielder made more interceptions than any other player and his passing was on point too. A superb performance. AFP -
Alexis Mac Allister 8 – Was central to Brighton’s attacking powers and after coming close with a long-range effort, he supplied a defence-splitting pass to release Gross, who crossed for the opening goal. He came close to scoring several times. A danger all game. Reuters -
Solly March 7 – Looked very comfortable in the left-wing back position. He kept Sissoko quiet and also managed to cause a bit of havoc in the Spurs defence when he got forward. AFP -
Neal Maupay 7 – Brighton’s attacking midfielders had a field day and linked well, but their decision making in the final third could have cost them. Reuters -
Leandro Trossard 7 – Scored his second goal of the season, his first since the opening day, when he drilled home following a neat team move. EPA -
SUB: Dan Burn (Veltman, 72) N/A – Solid performance when he came on, clearing his lines well and formidable in the air. Reuters -
SUB: Aaron Connolly (Trossard,79) N/A – Had a great chance to make sure of the three points when he had the goal at his mercy, but his effort was blocked by Alderweireld. A dink over the Belgian defender would no doubt have doubled Brighton’s score. Reuters -
SUB: Adam Lallana (Maupay, 79) N/A – A welcome cameo to get some minutes under his belt after missing out in the Fulham game. AFP -
TOTTENHAM RATINGS: Hugo Lloris 6 – Had very little chance of stopping Brighton’s opening goal but kept Spurs in the game when he stopped Ben White doubling the advantage after the break. Reuters -
Joe Rodon 5 – Was found ball watching for Brighton’s goal but didn’t do a lot wrong after that. AFP -
Toby Alderweireld 6 –Made a goal-saving block in the last 10 minutes to deny Connolly. As the most experienced of Tottenham’s three centre-backs, he struggled to keep Rodon and Sanchez in check, but he looked far more comfortable in the second half when Spurs went to four at the back. Made another great block to deny Mac Allister. Reuters -
Davinson Sanchez 5 – Had a poor first half and couldn’t deal with Brighton’s attacking movement. Was substituted at half time. Reuters -
Moussa Sissoko 5 – With Serge Aurier dropped and Matt Doherty on the bench, Sissoko filled the right wing-back position. It didn’t work, though he looked more comfortable as a right-back. Reuters -
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg 6 – Was on the receiving end of a heavy challenge early on but was arguably Tottenham’s brightest spark. Battled well and tried to keep the ball moving. AFP -
Tanguy Ndombele 6 – Like Hojbjerg, he battled hard in the middle and was caught a few times by wayward Brighton challenges, but he was bypassed by his teammates too many times. He saw more of the ball in the second half but turned over possession too frequently. Reuters -
Ben Davies 4 – Started the game as a wing-back and lost Gross in the build-up to the opening goal. Looked more solid as a left-back when Spurs reverted to four at the back in the second half. Reuters -
Gareth Bale 4 – Offered very little going forward but he tracked back on occasion and was in the right place at the right time on the line to clear Lewis Dunk’s goal-bound header. Was substituted after the break. Poor. AFP -
Steven Bergwijn 5 – The liveliest of Tottenham’s attacking trident, he at least had an effort on goal, although it finished wide of the post. He then set up Vinicius for a shot in the second half. EPA -
Son Heung-Min 5 - Had a very quiet night. Was restricted to a couple of long-range efforts that didn’t trouble Sanchez in the Brighton goal. AFP -
SUB: Carlos Vinicius (Sanchez, 45) 6 – Tested Sanchez twice; once with a header and then a turn and shot. Looked the most likely to score for the visitors. Reuters -
SUB: Lucas Moura (Bale, 61) 4 – Added some pace to the Spurs attack and his dribbling caused Brighton to drop deep, but overall he was ineffectual. Reuters -
SUB: Erik Lamela (Ndombele, 74) N/A – Was brought on to make things happen but couldn’t influence the game. Reuters
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It is a first managerial meeting and shapes up to be a clash of philosophies. “Everything is allowed,” Tuchel continued. “There are many ways to succeed. I think it is very clear he stands for. He builds competitive and strong teams.”
It may be a game of shifting loyalties. Mourinho was once disliked by Chelsea fans in his Manchester United days. Tuchel had an allegiance to Spurs as a child, but was keen to stress it was only a loose one.
“As a boy, once or twice I was pretending to be Tottenham in the garden, it was to show off more in front of my friends. I didn’t even know Tottenham was in London,” he explained. “It was just a fancy name and a team we could see on TV for a few minutes. There is no doubt I arrive in blue and am proud to coach in blue.”
Tuchel may be without one of his compatriots, with a training-ground injury rendering Kai Havertz a doubt. Another presents a different issue. Timo Werner has a solitary goal in his last 17 games. Tuchel is trying to rebuild his confidence but realises scoring is the best recipe for recovery.
“With every player, we try to create a bond,” he said.
“Every guy is different: some need you to be close, some need to you be more alone, some need to be pushed hard, some need a hug. It is our responsibility to create moments to bring out his best. In the end, the last 10, 15, 20 percent only comes back when he scores. This is like every striker in the world. Nothing helps as much as they find the net in important games. He is not looking for excuses. He is working hard.”
Mason Mount, one of the stars of Sunday’s win over Burnley, could be preferred to Werner. An ally of Frank Lampard’s has an admirer in Tuchel. “He has everything that is needed to reach higher and higher levels,” he said. “I don’t know where his limits are.” The same may be said of Tuchel’s Chelsea.
