This blog is written by AK. He is a big Chelsea fan and has been playing FPL since 2012/13. He has finished in the top 5k twice with a Best Overall Rank of 1,140 in the 17/18 season. AK is also ranked number 7 in the all-time list of best FPL managers in India. He believes in the Eye test and uses statistics to verify them. Do give him a follow on Twitter and check out his articles on allaboutfpl.com here.
Thomas Tuchel has come in and immediately transformed an underperforming Chelsea side that saw them languishing at 9th after 19 games I have looked into areas he has fixed and how he seems to be getting the most out of his squad.
Tuchel’s preferred formation
Tuchel has always preferred a 3-2-5 on the field, no matter which formation it would be on paper. At Chelsea he wasn’t afforded much time, he quickly just went back to basics with a 3-man defense. He’s a lot more pragmatic than he used to be at PSG or Dortmund, which may be to get results out as a priority this season. Tuchel’s 3 at the back looks well settled and fixed, with Rudiger and Azpi employed as wide CBs and Christensen/Silva as the main CB.
All these 3 players are well accustomed to playing their roles as they did under Conte and look comfortable. We need to talk about the wing-backs though. Alonso usually is the deeper WB, while CHO looks to be the more attacking WB, always looking to take defenders on.
Heatmaps from FFScout
The front 3 consists of 2 Attacking Midfielders playing as 10s and a striker upfront. The AMs can drop deep to build-up play and carry the ball into attack, while the WBs are mostly posted wide always, to make the pitch bigger and to make it difficult to mark.
Here, I’d like to talk about Ziyech. He’s not a player who is comfortable receiving the ball with the Opposition goal to his back, so he struggles while turning and receiving the ball. He’s much better as a wide winger, but TT seems to be persisting with him cause of his output.
Further Read: Teams and Players to Consider for the Final stretch of FPL Season | FPL GW31 ~ GW38
Numbers Before and After Tuchel became Chelsea’s FPL Manager in FPL GW20
Chelsea Attack stats since FPL GW20
Before vs After (per game)
- xG: 1.57 – 1.39
- Shots Inside Box: 8.84 – 9.50
- Big Chances: 2.26 – 2.10
- Total Attempts: 13.84 – 14.8
- Possession: 60% – 64.5%
The Attack numbers are pretty much similar under TT, just a slight dip in the quality of chances, while total attempts inside the box and Possession have improved marginally. The style of play has changed drastically though as Tuchel’s team are less reliant on crosses than earlier.
Chelsea attempted 21.42 crosses per game before Tuchel, while the number is down at 17.5 under Tuchel, as the play seems to be more focussed on passes through the middle, which was not the case earlier.
Further Read: Teams and Players to Consider for the Final stretch of FPL Season | FPL GW31 ~ GW38
Chelsea Defensive stats: Before vs After Tuchel took over (Per game)
xGC:
- Shots Conceded Inside Box: 6.37 – 3.40
- Shots on Target Conceded: 3.16 – 0.20
- Big Chances Conceded: 1.47 – 0.50
- Defesinve Errors (Total): 10 – 1
There has been a significant change in the Defensive numbers since Tuchel has arrived. They are the best in the league for Shots Conceded Inside the Box, Big Chances Conceded, Clean Sheets, and Total Shots Conceded since Tuchel has taken over.
It all comes down to the way Tuchel sets up this Chelsea team. They look more comfortable and cohesive as a unit and are controlling the game a lot more, with patient and steady build-up. 8 CS in 10 games since TT is already more than what they mustered in 19 games before him.
From an FPL point of view, it’s their defence that you need to be looking at. Mendy and Azpilicueta seem to be the most nailed options at the back, while Rudiger also seems to be starting games except for an odd benching
Tuchel seems to be rotating the wing-back position according to the opposition though, with James and CHO starting 5 each on the right. It’s the same story with Alonso and Chilwell, starting 5 each in the last 10 in the league.
In the past few games, it looks like Tuchel is trying to play Havertz as a 9, and it’s an interesting one. He scored 8 goals from 9 games as a Center Forward last season with Bayer Leverkusen. One to keep an eye on!
Timo Werner It’s been a very difficult season for Werner and it doesn’t seem to be getting better under Tuchel right now too. He’s still getting around the same xG per appearance (0.30) and he’s still struggling to find goals. I’d stay clear unless he shows form.
Further Read: Teams and Players to Consider for the Final stretch of FPL Season | FPL GW31 ~ GW38
Chelsea FPL assets to consider from FPL GW30
The defensive side of things looks really good and I am personally thinking of doubling on Chelsea with Azpilicueta/Mendy since I already own Rudiger. Havertz is an interesting one and I am keeping an eye on him if he continues playing in that role. We do need to keep an eye on Chelsea’s involvement in other competitions, especially the Champions League. They have been awarded a good draw and should be able to cement a place in the Semi-Finals of the competition. Rotation around UCL games wouldn’t surprise me, as he’s already shown he’s willing to rotate before CL games, as he did vs Leeds United, where they only managed a 0-0 draw.
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Further reads from ALLABOUTFPL ahead of FPL GW30:
Teams and Players to Consider for the Final stretch of FPL Season | FPL GW31 ~ GW38
History Of Fantasy Football And Origin Of FPL
FPL History: Highest Scoring FPL Players Each Year Since The First FPL Season in 2002/03
FPL Tools guide for managers: Free and Paid
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AK - Anurag Khetan
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