Wing Backs the Way to Go for Tuchel?

04/02/21 2793

Having replaced Frank Lampard as manager of Chelsea last week, the games are coming thick and fats for Thomas Tuchel.

Having started with an underwhelming draw at home against Wolverhampton Wanderers, the former Paris Saint-Germain boss picked up his first victory at home against Burnley on the weekend.

One of the most notable aspects of the win from a Chelsea point of view was the wing back system employed by Tuchel. When playing with three central defenders, the wingbacks are crucial and were the difference as their attacking runs and overlaps resulted in the two goals against Burnley.

Most fans expected to see Ben Chilwell operating in the left wingback role but Tuchel opted to bring back Marcos Alonso.

The Spaniard produced an excellent performance, capping it with a well taken goal towards the end of the game to secure maximum points for his team.

Cesar Azpilicueta is another player who has enjoyed a resurgence under the guidance of the German manager, finding the back of the net to open the scoring against Burnley. Azpilicueta played as one of three central defenders alongside Antonio Rudiger and Thigo Silva.

However, perhaps one of the most interesting things to come out of the victory against Burnley was the positioning of Callum Hudson-Odoi. Used previously as a wide attacking player, the England international started the match as right wing back and caused Burnley plenty of problems, including the creation of the first goal for Azpilicueta.

In fact, such was the devastating impact Hudson-Odoi was having on the left side of the Burnley team, it led to an interesting exchange between Sean Dyche and Robbie Brady, during which the latter admitted he could not stop Hudson-Odoi from attacking down their left flank.

With the Englishman looking comfortable playing in the position of right wing back, this is a system that could work for Chelsea in the long term considering the options they have on both the right and left side of the team.

Alonso played against Burnley because of the extra height it gave Chelsea but with Chilwell also capable of playing in that position, rotation will not be a problem.

The same applies to the right side of the team where Reece James is more than comfortable playing in the right wing back position and has the ability to create goals.

In addition, Rudiger appears to be back in favour at Stamford Bridge to the detriment of Kurt Zouma. However, with many fixtures to come during the remainder of the season there are sure to be changes as players will be rested.

Tuchel looks set to continue playing this system and it will be interesting to see what it means for the likes of Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech, and Christian Pulisic.

All three have the ability to play in wide positions but not wing back. We may see significant rotation in the attacking positions for Chelsea going forward under Tuchel and that includes Kai Havertz, Olivier Giroud, and Tammy Abraham.