When Frank Lampard was given the old heave-ho by the Chelsea hierarchy, they moved swiftly to appoint former Paris Saint-Germain manager, Thomas Tuchel, in his place.
The German is renowned for getting his teams to play attacking, expansive football, and the Blues are clearly looking to tap into his knowledge and experience after the experiment with Lampard failed.
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Another new dawn at Stamford Bridge promises to be an intriguing one, however, pundit Micah Richards isn’t too convinced by what Tuchel brings to the table.
“Chelsea have appointed Tuchel because they want to win the Premier League and Champions League again. I struggle to see that happening with him,” he said to the Daily Mail.
“What have Chelsea seen in Tuchel that convinces them he will outwit Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp over the course of a 38-game season?
“I’m glad he was realistic in his opening press conference to say they had no chance of winning the title this year but why should that change in 2022?
“[…] I’m absolutely not writing Tuchel off, but something about his appointment doesn’t feel right. If you look at Klopp, for example, you could see Liverpool had a plan and were ready to see it through.
“If Tuchel’s plan for Chelsea doesn’t work, it will be the same old story and another one will bite the dust.”
Richards is right to have reservations of course, particularly given that the German has never managed in the Premier League before.
Yes, his skill set should be transferable, but plenty of others have tried and failed to make it in the Premier League despite having impressive CV’s elsewhere.
Chelsea only need to recall the time that Luiz Felipe Scolari was announced in a blaze of publicity, only to depart with his tail between his legs.