Who is Set to be Thomas Tuchel's Main Man at Chelsea?

With the arrival of Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea, many questions surround who the German sees as his key players. The current squad at Stamford Bridge is absolutely stacked with talent in every position, giving Tuchel an early headache as he looks to rescue Chelsea’s season.

Many have instantly looked towards the new German summer arrivals, Timo Werner and Kai Havertz, as two that Tuchel will put his faith into, but the West Londoners boast an array of homegrown talent that must come under consideration as well.

Here we take a look at who Tuchel could favour at his new club and how things looked for him with certain names at Paris Saint-Germain.

Starting with the middle of the pitch, Tuchel prefers a central midfielder who is good on the ball, but also who is quick enough to get around the pitch and put in the hard yards, such as Idrissa Gueye, who he had at PSG. This immediately causes a problem for some names at the club, such as Jorginho.

However, this opens the door to two main candidates: N’Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic. Kante has been one of the best in his position for many years now but has recently struggled for fitness.

This had left Chelsea with a gap in their system under Lampard, as he had deployed Kante as his deepest midfielder, in order to allow the likes of Mason Mount and Kai Havertz to push further forward.

However, Kovacic had been excellent for Chelsea under Lampard, winning the Chelsea Player of the Year award for the 2019/20 season, so he would also be an interesting and superb option for this role in midfield.

If Chelsea are to line up with the expected 4-2-3-1 formation, then this will open the door to two main game plans. Either the two deeper midfielders will be more defensive-minded and less inclined to burst forward, or just one of these will play, with a more adventurous and attacking option alongside them.

Despite what social media may claim, Mason Mount has fully deserved his extended run in the side and has arguably been Chelsea’s best player this season. The versatility of Mount means that he could either feature in a midfield two alongside Kante, or further forward as a number 10. However, there is also the club's record signing Kai Havertz, who the Chelsea board would love to see the best of under a German coach.

But this is not an issue, of course. Lampard showed that Mount and Havertz can play in the same team, during their 17-game unbeaten run earlier in the season. The young German appears to be more well suited to the number 10 role, so the key to Tuchel creating a balanced Chelsea team which includes Havertz lies with the two sitting midfielders.

Against the bigger sides, this may well be Kante and Kovacic, with Mount coming in against the ‘easier’ opposition, as an extra creative option with which to unlock a low defensive block.

Another key area of the pitch that has been under the microscope at Chelsea this season is the striker. Timo Werner completed his £45m switch from RB Leipzig in the summer but has looked like a shadow of his former self lately, failing to score in any of his last 11 league games.

The German has played a lot of those games out on the left wing though, so there is the hope that Tuchel’s appointment and him playing in his preferred position will hand Werner a confidence boost ahead of the second half of the season. One player who may struggle for minutes under Tuchel is Tammy Abraham. The English striker had been the main striker for much of Lampard’s tenure, racking up a combined 27 goals and assists in 50 league appearances.

Tuchel has managed a huge name in the past in this position, with Edinson Cavani netting 22 times in 35 league appearances under the German, but it would appear that Timo Werner will be the main option in attack. The other key decisions surround the centre backs and wingers, with Antonio Rudiger rumoured to be one of Tuchel’s starting centre backs.

As for the wings, Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic would be the obvious choices, however, Callum Hudson-Odoi has performed well in cameo performances as of late.

By Luke Feather