Tomorrow on the 26th of January will be one year since Chelsea appointed Thomas Tuchel as a manager to replace the outgoing Frank Lampard. Since then, Tuchel has exceeded expectations and instated a sense of stability around the club. Even when things aren't quite going right, he deals with it well and looks forward.
The German won the Champions League in the same season he came in, swooped up the Super League trophy, and this season has taken Chelsea to the League Cup final. So, it's not been a bad year work in terms of winning and battling for silverware.
Some of the above were unexpected, and the manager has brought more to the club than most fans would have hoped for. The CarefreeChelsea squad share what they think are some of Tuchel's most unexpected moments as Blues manager.
Incorporating youth players - Renuka Odedra
When Tuchel came in, you feared for the academy graduates. Frank Lampard gave a few of them their first games in a blue shirt and relied on others instinctively. Take Mason Mount, for example. With Tuchel's arrival, you almost assumed that he'd favour the big names and experience of academy talent. When he dropped Mount in his first game in charge, you put your head in your hands and thought, oh no, here we go again.
But, over the course of the year, he had repaid the faith of the youngsters in him to give regular playing time and rotate the squad so everyone gets to play. Just look at Reece James fantastic start to the season, which sadly has been paused because of an injury.
So, this was something unexpected from the manager, but a pleasant surprise!
Overlooking Werner - Jake Stokes
As soon as Chelsea announced Tuchel boss, there was this sudden fan-led movement that he'd be the key to unlocking Timo Werner and Kai Havertz in the Premier League because he's German.
I won't lie, I was part of that - and I still think he can unleash the 'Bundesliga Werner' for the Blues because there's a world-class striker in there waiting to break free.
What surprised me most was how quickly Tuchel overlooked Werner as an option. I understand why Tuchel might not give Werner consistent first-team opportunities, but I'm surprised that Werner didn't get any special treatment or extra trust.
Maybe it's just man-management, and Tuchel's been taking Werner out of the firing line, which, as I said, is understandable, but I just expected the Blues boss to invest more time into the Germany international.
On the contrary, every decision Tuchel has made since arriving has been spot on, so we can't complain - I just thought Werner might've become the 'teacher's pet', but he hasn't.
Turning doubted players into European heroes - Daniel Childs
Taking a broader look from where we were when Tuchel originally came in, many of the squad had been questioned.
There were several players whose quality and mentality had been doubted under the previous two coaches. Could these players ever replicate the heights of the previously adored generation?
The work Tuchel did to elevate players' strengths like Andreas Christensen, Jorginho and Antonio Rudiger whilst hiding their weaknesses is a simple sign of brilliant coaching. All three had been players either on the fringes under Lampard or had endured difficult periods. But the trio came to play a massive role in the Champions League run.
This ability to transform the feeling of Chelsea over 12 months has made Tuchel such a commanding and respected figure across European Football.
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