Vincent Van GenechtenSource: BELGIAN
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“We’re delivering a brilliant performance here,” Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel said after the game. “The challenge was to stay calm and gradually increase the rhythm and intensity. I have to say we did that very well. It rained chances and goals against a team that normally doesn’t give much away.”
Remarkably often Chelsea, defending champions in the Champions League, keeps zero this season. “Controlling a match always starts with good defense. We do this in a very disciplined manner, which is how we build in some certainty. We can lean back if we have to.”
The Blues received a lot of praise in England. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a coach make such a big difference since taking office,” said ex-Chelsea analyst Joe Cole. “Not at Chelsea anyway. Champagne football was played. It was unbelievably good and Juventus should be happy that it only stayed at 4-0. Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner were not even in the starting line-up. That is an attack of 170 million and they still score four against Juventus. There are almost no words for that. Leading the Champions League, leading the Premier League and being champions of Europe with a team full of youth products.”
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The English newspapers were also lyrical. Reece James, for example, received a 10/10 from The Independent for “the perfect match. The Sun gave the Englishman a 9/10, as did Callum Hudson-Odoi. Striking: The Daily Express notes that during the absence of the injured Lukaku, Chelsea did not lose a single time.
Although the Belgian was bought for a lot of money to take Chelsea to the next level, Tuchel and co are unbeaten since he was sidelined. “They only failed to win once in the seven games where Lukaku was not in the starting line-up.”
“Shameless”
A very different sound in Italy. There they were particularly hard on a “shameless” and “unfaced” Juventus. La Gazzetta dello Sport actually handed out five tubes: trainer Max Allegri (4.5), Federico Chiesa, Adrien Rabiot, Alex Sandro and Rodrigo Bentancur (all 4).
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“I think Juventus got a football lesson from Chelsea,” said former top coach Fabio Capello at Sky Sport Italia. “Chelsea we saw put pressure, run and never give a pass back. They never start from the defense. Instead, they play football proactively and look ahead, with no passes to the goalkeeper. That’s a kind of rhythm that the Italian league is no longer used to. There is therefore a big difference in speed and quality.”
“There is just another pressure,” said the ex-coach of Juve and Real Madrid, among others. “In the Champions League they play hard and they don’t whistle everything they do in Serie A. In Italy they also involve the goalkeeper far too often. Liverpool and Chelsea have German coaches, maybe we can learn from them and adapt. If you never train or play at such a high rhythm, you get results like this in Europe.”
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