Thomas Tuchel did not hide his intentions before Sunday's clash with Spurs. The German had responded to questions in Friday's press conference over how he would deal with the heat and the challenge of stifling Antonio Conte's 3-4-3 formation.
"I think we have to be very disciplined in certain regions of the game. They stepped the level up in their game. They play in the same structure so far and have a pattern in offensive pressing and in their attitude to defending. This changes a lot.
"It's very important we are good on the ball. It's very important we are the dominant team. Hopefully, we put the game in the opponent's half and control their counter-attacks before everybody else sees them. Hopefully, we don't talk about counter-attacking because they are maybe one of the best teams in the world in counter-attacks and these movements."
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Tuchel's team selection was not an overall shock, particularly if you remembered how he counteracted the speed of Vinicius Jnr in the second leg performance at the Bernabeu back in April and also how he approached the three games against Conte this past January.
The most eye-catching inclusion from the off was Ruben Loftus-Cheek. He was brought in for Cesar Azpilicueta and was tasked with matching the speed of opposing wingback Ryan Sessegnon whilst also helping to add extra bodies in central midfield when Chelsea got the ball.
In the first half, they got a lot of it – 68 per cent. And it was helped that Loftus-Cheek's hybrid role overwhelmed Spurs in central areas as they tried to nullify the smart movement of Mason Mount, the passing of Jorginho and the energy of N'Golo Kante. All four were essential for preventing Spurs from finding the runs of Son Heung-min.
The 26-year-old had a productive afternoon, particularly in a dominant first half where he won 100 per cent of his aerial duels, had 37 touches, won nine duels, won possession five times and created one chance.
In the second half, he could be accused of indecisiveness after dancing past Spurs challenges to get himself into a promising shooting position inside the box, a moment that eventually led to Raheem Sterling blasting over.
The positioning and performance of Reece James were equally delightful, but this afternoon for Ruben would have been a massive step in the right direction. Although last year saw him take great strides back to fitness, showing sporadic flashes of the extraordinary talent many got inspired by before his ACL injury, he still was deemed a fringe player.
His vaccination status meant he missed the tour of the US, but given the way that tour went, his involvement in the second Udinese game offered enough room to make an impression, again from the right-wingback role.
Even after the signing of Marc Cucurella from Brighton, there have been small suggestions that Tuchel could still be eyeing a new right-sided option, with Inter Milan's Denzel Dumfries and Southampton's Kyle Walker-Peters both linked. Either would likely cost the club between £30-40m, an expense that could now be avoided given Loftus-Cheek's impressive display against top opposition.
His versatility to offer such a flexible role shows his usefulness to Tuchel, a player who the German has singled out for praise before, whilst also pushing him to do more and grow.
Given the chase for Wesley Fofana is ongoing and fears over Azpilicueta's pace are a concern, Tuchel, at the very least, has a viable short-term option that suits his approach.
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