Joe Cole on Thomas Tuchel's reinvention of Chelsea
Tuesday, September 28, 2021
Article summary
"I can't remember the club being as harmonious as this for a long, long time," says the ex-Blues midfielder.
Article top media content
Article body
Now that I'm retired, I miss all sorts of football, but the big games in the UEFA Champions League, when the music starts... it really does make you want to get back in there. I was at the Chelsea vs Man. City game at the weekend and you see the pace these lads play at and I can't believe that I used to play like that.
Chelsea lost 1-0 to City at the weekend, but I think it's a bump in the road for the club. Thomas Tuchel tweaked the system slightly and they just ran into the better side on the day. Tuchel will probably go back to what he knows against Juventus.
The Blues' start to the season has been excellent. The lads have looked strong, the system looks good; I think they've kicked on from where they were last year. Tuchel came in with an idea of how to play football that suits the players in the building. They look like a team where every player who goes onto the pitch knows their roles and responsibilities.
I can't remember the club being as harmonious as this for a long, long time. One thing Chelsea have done in the last 20 years is win trophies, but to do it in a way where everyone's on the same page and they seem so together is a real achievement for Tuchel.
They surprised everyone outside of their own players and fans by winning the Champions League, but now that element of surprise is gone, Chelsea have to embrace being hunted. As the champions of Europe, they are going to be up against teams playing to their maximum every time they go anywhere. It's something to embrace – a new challenge.
As for Juventus on Wednesday, Juventus will be Juventus. They're not at their best at the moment and they've lost their talisman in Cristiano Ronaldo, but they're still Juventus, you're still in Turin and you're still playing against a team full of champions. It's going to be great and I'm interested to see how Romelu Lukaku can do against Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci.
