Chelsea have sacked Thomas Tuchel after 99 games and a Champions League title whilst in charge, but where are his first Blues XI that faced Wolves now – including Olivier Giroud?
The Stamford Bridge natives appointed Tuchel to the helm back in January 2021 after firing club legend, Frank Lampard. He arrived in west London following a 127 match spell at Paris Saint-Germain, where the German had won the Ligue 1 title twice between 2018 and 2020.
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Tuchel was highly admired by the Chelsea hierarchy, at the time, with their former director Marina Granovskaia calling the 49-year-old ‘one of Europe’s best coaches’, via BBC Sport. But he has now lost his job after an apparent disagreement with new owner, Todd Boehly.
Sport Bild’s head of football, Christian Falk, reports one of the reasons Tuchel developed a strained relationship with Boehly was he resisted buying Cristiano Ronaldo. Boehly wanted the Manchester United star, but Tuchel felt ‘he will destroy the spirit in my dressing room’.
Still, Chelsea spent a whopping £278.5m on new signings this summer, setting a new single window record. Their net spend was also £228.5m, after buying Leicester’s Wesley Fofana for £75m, Brighton’s Marc Cucurella for £63m and Man City’s Raheem Sterling for £47.5m.
But three wins to two defeats from six games to start the 2022/23 Premier League season, before losing 1-0 at Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League, saw Chelsea sack Tuchel. He now leaves west London after 99 matches, and as a Champions League winning boss.
Tuchel also leaves behind a squad that has heavily outlived him in west London, with eight of those he started in his first match in charge against Wolves still at Chelsea now. So, with that in mind, who opened the goalless stalemate at Stamford Bridge on January 27, 2021?
Edouard Mendy (GK): Lampard signing still at Chelsea now from Tuchel’s first game
Lampard sanctioned a £22m deal to sign Edouard Mendy from Stade Rennais in September 2020 on a five-year contract. Tuchel would start the goalkeeper in his first game in charge of Chelsea come January 2021, and Mendy remains at the club now after 99 appearances.
Cesar Azpilicueta (CB): Captained Chelsea in Tuchel’s first game at the helm
Tuchel allowed Cesar Azpilicueta to continue in his role as Chelsea’s captain during his first game in charge against Wolves. The 33-year-old has had the armband full-time since 2018, and penned a new, two-year contract this August to end links to Barcelona, per Sky Sports.
Antonio Rudiger (CB): Tuchel failed to retain German now at Real Madrid this year
Tuchel failed to retain his compatriot, Antonio Rudiger, this summer, with the centre-back leaving Chelsea to join Real Madrid in a free transfer. He had spent five years with the club for 203 matches, but rejected a new deal worth over £200k-a-week to stay, per BBC Sport.
Thiago Silva (CB): Tuchel reunited with former PSG star at Chelsea
Lampard brought Thiago Silva to Chelsea in August 2020 in a Bosman deal after Tuchel let the Brazilian leave Paris Saint-Germain. Yet the 37-year-old would become a vital part of the German’s Blues backline, playing in 69 of his 99 games at the helm in all competitions.
Callum Hudson-Odoi (RM): Tuchel loaned winger to Bayer Leverkusen this August
Tuchel allowed Callum Hudson-Odoi to agree a late-window move to Bayer Leverkusen on loan this August. The winger had struggled to hold down a role in the German’s plans with Chelsea, with the 21-year-old only playing in 46 matches and starting in 32 of those games.
Jorginho (CM): Sarri signing outlived Tuchel in west London after 2018 arrival
Jorginho joined Chelsea under Maurizio Sarri back in July 2018 in a £50m deal from Napoli, potentially rising to £57m. The midfielder later admitted to ESPN Brazil in 2020 that he had been ‘open to negotiations’ with Arsenal that summer, yet outlives Tuchel in west London.
Mateo Kovacic (CM): Croatian’s importance in Tuchel’s team fell this term
Mateo Kovacic joined Chelsea from Real Madrid in July 2019 for £40m after an initial year on loan. He remains at Stamford Bridge today under contract to 2024, but his importance in Tuchel’s team had fallen this term with two starts over four games around a knee injury.
Ben Chilwell (LM): Tuchel replaced Lampard’s £50m man with Cucurella
Lampard paid Leicester £50m to buy Ben Chilwell in August 2020, yet the England left-back is now behind Cucurella in Chelsea’s pecking order. He has featured in six of their games so far, but has only started in two, with Tuchel favouring his big-money recruit from Brighton.
Kai Havertz (RAM): Tuchel unable to extract consistent output from German
Tuchel was unable to extract a consistent output from Kai Havertz during his time with the Blues’ £76m signing from Bayer Leverkusen in September 2020. The 23-year-old offered 19 goals and eight assists over 74 games under his compatriot with just a goal so far this term.
Hakim Ziyech (LAM): Moroccan will want fresh start after Chelsea sack Tuchel
Hakim Ziyech will now be keen for a fresh start under Tuchel’s replacement, having held a reserve role until Chelsea sacked the German. Lampard’s £33.5m signing from Ajax in 2020 played 68 games under Tuchel – three this season – but only started in 39 of those outings.
Olivier Giroud (ST): Tuchel sold striker to AC Milan months after joining Chelsea
Tuchel sold Olivier Giroud to AC Milan for £850k, rising £850k in add-ons, six months after taking charge of Chelsea. The 35-year-old opened the German’s first game with the Blues, but only hit two goals in 13 games before leaving and winning the Serie A title in 2021/22.
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