The 'footballaholic' Could tactical Thomas solve England puzzle?

One of Thomas Tuchel's old bosses calls him a "footballaholic". The image is of a man who spends every minute of every day poring over the game's tactical intricacies.

- Jacob Steinberg

No wonder Tuchel quickly made good on his promise to turn Chelsea into a team that nobody would relish playing after inheriting a broken unit from Frank Lampard in January 2021.

They were champions of Europe four months later, stunning Pep Guardiola and Manchester City in a tense final in Porto after perfectly carrying out Tuchel's plan. It was a remarkable achievement. Chelsea were flailing in mid-table when the German who has agreed to be England's next manager took over. They were shipping goals at an alarming rate. Undeterred, Tuchel immediately ironed out the flaws and introduced a 3-4-2-1 system that turned Chelsea into the stingiest team in Europe.

Order restored, they clambered back into the Premier League's top four and reached the FA Cup final (an oddly muted display against Leicester at Wembley was a rare misstep), but it was in the Champions League knockout ties where they truly shone. Chelsea were efficient and clinical during wins against Atlético Madrid, Porto and Real Madrid, conceding only twice in six games, and maintained that sturdiness against City. Guardiola was outwitted.

Chelsea were impossible to break down, dangerous on the counterattack and dominant in midfield. N'Golo Kanté was making the most of a rare injury-free spell and Jorginho, written off as too slow to succeed in English football, had the finest year of his career thanks to Tuchel's coaching.