3 key players who have reinvented Chelsea’s winning way under Thomas Tuchel

When Thomas Tuchel landed the Chelsea job at the end of January after Frank Lampard was sacked Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp mused that he has been given a gift, and Klopp was absolutely right.

The problem with that statement though was that Chelsea’s brilliant players- and they really do have plenty were not performing to their maximum best under Lampard. They simply could not be coached by him and he had to go.

Bringing in Tuchel was an ace move, the German had worked wonders at PSG and stream rolled their domestic success. He almost reached the top of the mountain last summer as he guided PSG to their first ever Champions League final, but ultimately they lost in a close final to Bayern Munich.

Even though there would be disappointment for Tuchel last year with being a runner-up in the Champions League and then being sacked from PSG, he did earn pedigree and he also earned respect. It is this respect which is now filtering through to the Chelsea stars, and it is obvious that Tuchel gained it as soon as he arrived at the club.

But which players have really picked up their game since he took to the Stamford Bridge dugout? It’s interesting that one player in Timo Werner, Tuchel’s German countryman continues to struggle and Werner only has 30 points so far for a striker and has scored just 5 goals.

Let’s take a look then at the best 3 Chelsea players who have really stepped up their game and made an impact under Tuchel already.

- Mason Mount was bubbling with form under Lampard but has exploded with Tuchel in charge. He is quick, confident on the ball and is scoring goals. Six months ago he may have not been on Gareth Southgate’s list for the Euro’s this summer, but he will be one of the first on it now. Mount is able to score goals in the important games.

-Mateo Kovacic has really benefitted from Tuchel’s tactical switch of playing 3 at the back and while the defender looked lost under Lampard at times he has come into his own. He reacted very well to Tuchel’s method of play, but Chelsea have a strong team and he will have to keep that form up.

-N’Golo Kante is in a long line of brilliant midfielders for Chelsea, from everyone from Michael Essien to Frank Lampard. Though unlike Lampard Kante’s forte is not about goals, instead he has been dominating the midfield and games and has looked like one of the shining stars of this Chelsea side.

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Could Real Madrid be on the verge of signing Kanté?

It is not a secret that Real Madrid’s management has been searching for quality midfielders to bolster the ranks. While one name that has been linked with the team to fill the gap is Rennes midfielder Eduardo Camavinga, he’s not the only one that has been targeted. Another signing that could be on the horizon for the Madrid side is N’Golo Kanté.

Chelsea are supposedly looking to push various players out the door to make room for big signings, and Kanté is apparently one of the names to go. Real Madrid have shown interest in signing him before, so perhaps now is the time for them to submit a deal that can tempt him to move to Spain.

As it happens, in 2016, Kanté was linked as a potential reinforcement for the team, but that never happened. Then, in 2019, he was mentioned again as a possibility, although it was reported that Kanté himself opted not to join Real Madrid at that time. Yet, without any sort of backing or alternative deal from Chelsea this time around, perhaps he’ll find himself moving to the Spanish side in 2020.

Stamford Bridge is looking to host players like Hakim Ziyech, Timo Werner and Kai Havertz as part of the home team, and the likelihood is that at least one of these transfers will be a costly affair. For Chelsea to afford all three, with Ziyech already signed, they’ll need to acquire the money from somewhere – hence the sale of Kanté and others.

What Could Kante Bring to Real Madrid?

One Spanish newspaper has pointed out that this is Real’s big moment to seize Kanté, as his talent is beyond what can be expressed in words. He has multiple skills which would fit perfectly into Zidane’s formation. Real Madrid hasn’t made any sort of move to secure the player yet, so only time will tell if the team decides to make a solid offer for him.

They’d be better off moving quickly as well because word has it that Paris Saint-Germain is preparing to make a bid for Kanté too. After all, considering that he established himself as one of the Premier League’s best players following his signing by Leicester in 2015, multiple teams have kept a close eye on where he goes. This is what could lead the Ligue 1 team to make a substantial offer to Chelsea if they believe that the London team will hand him over to them.

That being said, Kanté has struggled with injuries during this past season, although this hasn’t been a cause for Chelsea to get rid of him. Instead, it’s solely to bring new blood to the team, sources suggest.

Kanté has been one of the footballers who has been wagered on frequently when it comes to sports betting, too. Throughout his years of activity since signing to Leicester and onwards, sites like Betwinner have seen an influx of wagers on the Frenchman. The fact that this sportsbook also has its own mobile app ensured that these bets would remain highly active. And if you’re interested in engaging in such, you can view how to install Betwinner mobile app for Android devices prior to downloading it.

Regardless of where Kanté ends up, the likelihood is that he’ll maintain his high level of play, so bets on him should remain high. Whether that be with Real Madrid or Paris Saint-German remains to be seen. However, he will always be one to watch out for when he’s on the pitch.

Why a shift to 4-2-3-1 could solve Chelsea’s midfield woes

In truth, last Saturday’s 3-1 loss to Tottenham Hotspur flattered Chelsea. The gulf in class between the two teams at Wembley was much vaster than a two-goal margin would suggest, as Spurs comprehensively outplayed their London rivals to climb above them and into third place in the Premier League table.

Chelsea were exposed defensively against Mauricio Pochettino’s men, with David Luiz particularly shaky up against a lively front three of Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Son Heung-min. The post-mortem has focused more on the makeup of the Blues’ midfield, though, after Jorginho was effectively shackled by Alli and N’Golo Kante again looked uncomfortable in a No.8 role.

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Fiorentina’s Jordan Veretout Wants To Emulate N’Golo Kante

Fiorentina’s Jordan Veretout scored eight goals last season — including a hat trick against Lazio — undoubtedly enjoying the most successful period of his career so far. His energetic displays in the centre of the pitch revealed real talent in going forward, yielding results he had previously failed to produce at Aston Villa, Nantes and Saint-Etienne in the past.  Continue reading

How have previous Player of the Year winners fared the following season?

Roberto Firmino Mo Salah

Liverpool have started the 2018-19 Premier League season by winning six of their seven matches, picking up 19 points along the way, and they currently lie in second place with an impressive tally of 15 goals scored and only three conceded.

Several players have stood out in the early weeks of the campaign for Jurgen Klopp’s side, from Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino to Joe Gomez and Andrew Robertson, but the form of Mohamed Salah has been of concern.

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Chelsea Set To Bring Back Their Stars

Chelsea Vs Liverpool Preview

English Premier League, Week 7

29.9.2018

Having already gone head to head on Wednesday evening, Chelsea and Liverpool lock horns again on Saturday, the visitors well aware that their last two domestic defeats came at the hands of their hosts here.  Continue reading

Chelsea need to figure out their defensive woes

sarriIt has been a great start to the Premier League season for Chelsea in terms of results. They beat Huddersfield comfortably in the first match of the season, 3-0, before winning a thrilling contest against Arsenal 3-2 last weekend at Stamford Bridge.

If there is one thing that we have learned from the first two games, it’s that Chelsea are really trying to play Maurizio Sarri’s style of football. The players all seem to have bought in to the manager’s philosophy.

Unfortunately, to get going properly under Sarri, it takes time. This is something he was not afforded as he was not even in charge of the squad from the first day of preseason training. We are starting to see now what the delay has cost the Blues and their Italian manager. Continue reading

Should top Premier League clubs have signed Steven N’Zonzi?

Steven N’Zonzi signed for Roma for a fee marginally over £20 million this week. The move to Italy will mean the Frenchman has played in three of the top five European leagues. It all started with Amiens, followed by a couple of stops in England, and now he’s a World Cup winner and Champions League calibre central midfielder.

Since leaving Stoke and the Premier League, a return has been rumoured on countless occasions. In fact, even while N’Zonzi was at Blackburn and Stoke, he was linked with a move to one of the top six. Obviously, a transfer never came to fruition and his ‘big move’ ended up being to Sevilla in 2015 for a mere £7 million.

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PSG looking to sign Kante and Vertonghen

kantembappe

Young Player of the World Cup Kylian Mbappe has revealed that he left “secret notes” for N’Golo Kante urging the Chelsea midfielder to join him at Paris Saint-Germain this summer. The 19-year-old, who lit up the tournament, also confirmed to France Football that PSG President Al Khelaifi had spoken with him about the prospect of getting Kante to make the move. “It is true that he has consulted me, and I said to him once again that Kante would be good for our team. I spoke to N’Golo during the World Cup, but not extensive because I know that when you bombard the brain with transfer stuff. ‘At the end, I left a few words in his pockets, that he would have discovered once he got home (from the World Cup) to properly send a message.”

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Chelsea’s delayed signing is setting Maurizio Sarri up for failure

rsz_1sarri-midtjylland

Maurizio Sarri to Chelsea has been spoken about so much that it seems like a done deal. Only, it isn’t.

As of now, the facts remain the same: Antonio Conte is the manager of Chelsea and Maurizio Sarri is still employed by Napoli. This remains a problem for all four parties involved. Why? Well Conte is the manager of a club who doesn’t want him. Sarri is employed by a club who has no use for him. Chelsea can’t get their transfer campaign started until this is resolved, and Napoli are paying two coaches to do one job.

At the end of the day, the bigger problem lies with Chelsea and Maurizio Sarri; however, as Conte has a huge buyout clause in his contract and will be paid very well to walk away. Napoli also have their coach in place and have begun signing new players, therefore, they are not affected by Sarri still being on the books.  Continue reading