Thomas Tuchel may well have been a very good fit for what Chelsea wanted to be at the start of 2022. The club had just become champions of the world, they were comfortable in third position, the Champions League was about to restart and all cup triumphs were on the table.
In an ideal world, Tuchel would have remained and been not only the best post-modern manager the club has had, but he would have shown the Roman Abramovich had patience and was waiting for the shining light that Tuchel was all along.
The German wasn't flawless, that's fair to say. Even in the successful run that would slowly dwindle from February 2022 onwards, culminating in his sacking just six matches into this season, he wasn't perfect. Management of Trevoh Chalobah as the season drew on was questioned, the decision to sign Saul Niguez looked strange and mismanagement of Romelu Lukaku - though not everything there was Tuchel's fault - had plagued an otherwise impressive start.
READ MORE: Former Tottenham icon questions Premier League cancellation decision following The Queen's death
This was meant to be the season that proved why Tuchel was so sought after and that truly propelled him alongside Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola. Tuchel had the eloquent words, the emotional intelligence and the tactical nous.
Disaster struck that would not only halt progress, it would hinder any chance of seeing the best Tuchel at Stamford Bridge. There was carnage with owner Abramovich sanctioned in March and Tuchel effectively left to be the spokesperson for the club while trying to keep running the team.
For all of Tuchel's brilliance, the lack of progress made on the attacking front was worrying. It did seem like, considering his ability to get the best out of previously struggling Andreas Christensen, Antonio Rudiger and Jorginho, the forward line would make progress as things settled down, though.
Over the summer Tuchel would look to his trusty confidants, Marina Granovskaia and Petr Cech, and improve the players at his disposal. In the dream scenario Tuchel overhauls the attack and calm the ship this summer. The opposite happened: Chelsea lost Cech and Granovskaia, the foundations Tuchel worked with had gone and he was thrust into a new situation he didn't particularly like and was not suited to. The ideal world never came and maybe, Chelsea never got to see the best of Tuchel.
At his best, Tuchel has said that his teams have "to be like an orchestra." At Paris Saint-Germain the coach said, "everybody has his role and you can tell the youngster this, 'this is the moment to attack, this is the moment to defend, this is the moment to pass, this is the moment to dribble, this is your place,' so that he has a clear imagination of what to do."
Tuchel's tactical work and methodical play was meant to be driven by the personal spark of his players. Tuchel would work on getting them into the right areas on the ball and then the individual ability would take it away. He added: "If you just put him in and let him play by intuition, it's too much for them.
"[However,] it's very important that we don't suppress creativity, the opposite! But in your room, in your space, in that moment when you are protected, please find your solution. I will never tell Neymar what to do in a certain closed space because he will find a solution I never dreamed about. I will never tell Kylian [Mbappe]. Why? Why should I?
"I will never tell Marco Verratti what to do, he will find the solution that I could not find."
In France it was easier. The opposition were less able to block out the attack and at Tuchel's disposal were three of the best attackers in the world. At Chelsea he was using players low on confidence in a system designed to be pragmatic rather than explosive.
The hope was that in time Tuchel could change this. With players capable of finding their own solutions Chelsea could move on, but Tuchel was overly reliant on the creativity that has been missing for a long time. The last truly innovative mind at the club was Eden Hazard; he left three years ago. Before Hazard it was Cesc Fabregas and Juan Mata.
Chelsea's current group now get the ball into the promising positions without truly being capable of finding their own solutions. They then pass backwards, without intent and to the side, slowing Tuchel's plan. It's not that the players are at fault, the Tuchel vision is there. It's just a shame for all parties that the best never came from the manager who himself is extremely innovative.
Tuchel played it safe and had players willing to do the same. In time this could have changed but things had already started to go wrong. Now it's Graham Potter's task to get the players playing through the promising positions and using the creative nature that unleashed Neymar and Mbappe for Tuchel.
READ NEXT
Chelsea make major demand in preparation for ace's return and Callum Hudson-Odoi excites
Chelsea news and transfers LIVE: All the latest news, rumours and gossip from Stamford Bridge:
Transfers, nurturing youth, formations and his weakness - What Graham Potter brings to Chelsea
Chelsea's next expected fixtures after Premier League and UEFA Champions League decisions
Five Chelsea legends nominated for greatest Premier League transfer of all time
