BEVERLY HILLS, March 08, (THEWILL) – When German manager Thomas Tuchel of English Premier League side Chelsea beat La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid away from home in their last 16 first leg UEFA Champions League tie, he removed all doubts about the difference he has made to Chelsea’s defence. The Diego Simeone side, which were second in goal scoring only to Catalan giants Barcelona, had climbed to the top by netting 45 goals in just 23 games in a prolific scoring ride.
Yet, they came undone against the Blues, firing blanks all match and ended without breaching a backline that was compact, tight and plugged against leaking goals in the time since Tuchel took over at Chelsea.
The forwards of Wolverhampton Wanderers, Burnley, Tottenham Hotspur, Sheffield United, Barnsley, Southampton and Atletico Madrid tried and failed to score. Mason Greenwood, Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United were just as unsuccessful as the deadly Liverpool trio of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane.
And, on Monday night, Everton’s Brazilian forward Richarlison and his strike partner Dominic Calvert-Lewin got nothing to show for their attempts at forcing through the increasing impregnable fortress of Chelsea’s defence.
Monday’s clean sheet has now, deservedly, earned Tuchel his own entry into the record books of the EPL. With his side now unbeaten since his arrival at Stamford Bridge, the 2-0 triumph over Carlo Ancelotti’s Everton made him the first manager in EPL history to help his side keep a clean sheet in each of his first five home games in charge.
The German has now overseen an unbeaten stretch of 11 games since taking over from Frank Lampard on January 26, with this result being the Blues’ eighth win in that period. This meant that for the first time since 2015, Chelsea have kept five clean sheets in a row, repelling the threats Everton managed throughout with relative ease.
Superb goalkeeping from Everton’s Jordan Pickford in the closing stages prevented Chelsea adding further gloss to the scoreline. The England number one twice kept out Timo Werner as well as denying N’Golo Kante and Mason Mount while Chelsea keeper Edouard Mendy only faced one shot on target in a win that reinforced Chelsea’s top four aspirations.
Queried about how he has been able to mastermind this defensive turnaround, Tuchel said: “It is about desire. Defending is about effort. Sometimes it is necessary to defend midfield. It is about reliability, trust, courage, bravery.
“They guys around you must help you, principles, reliable, having your backs covered.”
It is clear that it is a winning formula, especially as it continues to work for them game after game as the records continue to show.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
