Diego Simeone’s team were not only outplayed but made to look physically weak and a major reset may be requiredThere was a moment just before the hour between Chelsea and Atlético Madrid when Diego Simeone, prowling the side of the pitch all dressed in black, shouted at his players: “Don’t leave the game.” Listening to his command, crystal clear and echoing round Stamford Bridge, watching what was happening or, more accurately, what wasn’t happening, you couldn’t help but think: leave the game? They’d have to get into it first. Related: 'No one wants to play us': Tuchel talks up Chelsea's European chances Related: Kai Havertz and Timo Werner click with Hakim Ziyech in a flash | Barney Ronay Related: Ziyech...
The £220m of attacking talent at Stamford Bridge has been a rare puzzle, but Thomas Tuchel’s job is to make it work – now he has the missing pieceWith 33 minutes gone at Stamford Bridge something startling happened. There are moments in the life of a successful team that come to be seen as transformative. It might be pushing it to see outright ignition, a lightning bolt, the man of many parts creaking up from his trolley, neck bolts whirring, in a breakaway goal from an attacking trio with a combined record of five goals in their past 66 Chelsea games before this second leg.But then, it really was a brilliant goal. And something did seem to stir here, enough...
The German striker missed chances against Liverpool but his movement and enthusiasm promise better things to comeMaybe Thomas Tuchel really is a tactical genius. Faced with a concrete-booted central defence and an opposing manager who insists on playing a high line, Tuchel picked his quickest attacker and told him to run in behind at every opportunity, to seek out the untended green acres, to run fast against people who can’t run fast. It’s a complex plan, Thomas. But it might just work.And so it came to pass at Anfield, where Chelsea kept hitting the same long diagonal pass, and where Tuchel’s plan worked but also didn’t completely work, because Timo Werner is a player trying to find his game, his...
Liverpool’s manager is glad to have Fabinho and Diogo Jota back for a game that could be pivotal in Champions League raceIn an uplifting tribute to Ian St John, the latest legend Liverpool have lost, Jürgen Klopp spoke of the almost child-like sense of awe he feels when meeting the old greats who shaped Anfield’s history. “To understand the club you have to meet as many as possible,” he said. “It is one thing what people inside or outside the club tell you, but you get completely different information from the players of the past. They know how it feels when you go out on the pitch and tell you these wonderful old stories. That is the petrol of dreams.”Klopp...
Fulham continue to struggle in front of goal, Leicester threatening a second collapse and West Brom play by the rulesAt the start of Scott McTominay’s United career, his place in the team seemed predicated in José Mourinho’s antipathy towards Paul Pogba, his receipt of the manager’s player of the year award the nearest Mourinho could get to presenting it to himself. Since then, though, McTominay has improved by several orders of magnitude, contributing power, tenacity and personality – skills that have been crucial in helping United improve from sixth to second. They still struggle to dominate, however, and when Pogba is absent the entirety of the creative burden rests with Bruno Fernandes, who had an off-day at Stamford Bridge. To...