Thomas Tuchel led Chelsea to their first-ever FIFA World Club Cup trophy on Saturday as he guided the team to a 2-1 win over stubborn Palmeiras after a crazy extra time fight that included a penalty kick and a red card. If you placed your bet on that exact series of events, you would make a big buck on the most trustworthy betting sites.
The German gaffer marked a year in charge of the team in January and in the space of that time, he has set numerous records, many of which the other coaches before him never had the opportunity to do.
If you are familiar with the terrains at Stamford Bridge, you will remember that it is not really a ”favorable” ground for coaches, even the successful ones, who have delivered historic trophies.
The former PSG coach was sacked in December 2020 in Paris a few months after leading them to their first-ever Uefa Champions League final, unfortunately, they fell to an all-conquering Bayern Munich side who swept all the trophies before them that season.
Meanwhile, Frank Lampard was enduring a turbulent time at Stamford Bridge at the same time a run which threatened the good job he did in his first season when he guided the club to the Uefa Champions League despite losing Eden Hazard and also the inability to sign players due to a transfer ban.
Chelsea pulled the trigger in January 2021 by firing club legend Frank Lampard and appointing Thomas Tuchel, a decision that turned out to be a masterstroke.
The decision did not go down well with some section of the club supporters due to Lampard’s standing at SW6, but Roman Abramovich is not known to mix sentiments with results.
Tuchel started by quickly re-instating experienced members of the team and also reverted back to a back three which brought so much success under Antonio Conte.
The players quickly responded to the change of tactics and after a rocky start results started flowing and the team started gathering momentum going into the last five months of the season.
He was also able to stop the defensive frailties which were so evident under Frank Lampard and also showed his tactical ingenuity to tweak things.
Chelsea went on an impressive run of 10 games unbeaten including victories over Liverpool, Tottenham, Atletico Madrid, Burnley, Newcastle, Sheffield United, and Barnsley, while drawing Southampton, Wolves, and Manchester United.
Chelsea defeated Atletico Madrid in the Champions League second round, before brushing aside Porto in the last eight and an impressive performance from Ngolo Kante led them to a 3–1 aggregate win over Real Madrid in the semi-final.
Tuchel once again demonstrated his tactical nous by inflicting another defeat on Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City to deliver Chelsea’s second Uefa Champions League trophy in Portugal to the delight of all those connected to the club.
He also guided Chelsea to the FA Cup final which they lost to Leicester City 1-0 thanks to a stunning strike from Youri Tielemans.
At the end of the season, Tuchel had announced himself as the new savior of the club just five months after replacing Lampard.
The first time Chelsea won the Uefa Champions League in that historic night at the Allianz Arena in 2012 they lost the Uefa Super Cup to Atletico Madrid and they fell short at the FIFA World Club Cup final against Corinthians in 2013 which marked a disappointing spell for the club.
Tuchel has banished those painful memories by leading Chelsea to a Super Cup win over Villarreal in August and also a historic FIFA World Club Cup win over Palmeiras thanks to goals from Romelu Lukaku and Kai Havertz.
In doing so, he delivered the only trophy missing under the successful reign of Roman Abramovich.
Tuchel has set numerous records and won individual laurels due to his remarkable feat at Stamford Bridge.
Tuchel’s Achievements In The Past Year
- FIFA Best Men’s Coach
UEFA Mens’s Coach of the Year
German Manager of the Year
Champions League winner
Super Cup winner
FA Cup finalist
League Cup finalist
FIFA World Club Cup
He is also the first Chelsea manager to lead the club to Uefa Champions League final, FA Cup final, League Cup final in quick succession.
Tuchel has also been named Premier League manager of the month twice in March and October 2021.
