I’m devastated by the end at Chelsea, writes Tuchel. I had hoped it wouldn’t come for a few years

Thomas Tuchel has been quite successful at Chelsea, turning a struggling team into an incredibly unpleasant unit and a pedalling machine, and even winning the Champions League. But when he stopped doing well for a while, the sacking came, which hit the German coach hard.

Tuchel took over Chelsea in the winter of 2021 when Frank Lampard was struggling and unable to steady the team with star reinforcements like Timo Werner, Kai Havertz or Hakim Ziyech.

The German coach arrived at Stamford Bridge on 26 January 2021 and things started to happen. Tuchel changed the formation to 3 stoppers and maintained a 14-match long unbeaten streak. Incidentally, he led Chelsea to the Champions League final over Atlético Madrid, Porto and Real Madrid.

In the final of the most famous competition, he outwitted Pep Guardiola and beat Manchester City. At the time, Tuchel was considered a tactical genius who created an incredible machine and Chelsea have secured his services until 2024.

Last season, Chelsea secured another Champions League berth by finishing third in the Premier League, reaching the quarter-finals in the millionaire’s competition, where they were knocked out by Real Madrid. The Blues, however, dominated the Club World Cup and reached the finals of both the EFL Cup and the FA Cup, where they lost to Liverpool on penalties on both occasions.

Chelsea did not start the new season well. Out of the first six league rounds, they won only three times, drew with Tottenham and lost to Leeds and Southampton. Then came an extra defeat to Dinamo Zagreb in the first Champions League game and owner Todd Boehly couldn’t take it anymore and sacked Tuchel.

That was a pretty shocking decision, considering what Tuchel had made of Chelsea. And to fire him at the first slight dip in form is pretty surprising.

“This is one of the most difficult statements I have ever had to write – and I had hoped I wouldn’t have to do it for many years. I am devastated that my time at Chelsea is over,” Tuchel wrote on Twitter.

“This is a club where I felt at home, professionally and personally. Thank you very much to all the staff, players and fans for making me feel very welcome from the start,” the German coach added.

“The pride and joy I felt when I helped the team win the Champions League and the Club World Cup will stay with me forever. I am honoured to have been part of this club’s history and the memories of the last 19 months will always have a special place in my heart,” Tuchel concluded his farewell.

Source: Twitter