THOMAS TUCHEL and Jurgen Klopp have had very similar journeys to the top of the Premier League.
Liverpool boss Klopp has always been a little bit ahead of Tuchel in terms of progress – he held both the Mainz and Borussia Dortmund jobs before Tuchel later took charge of the two German clubs.
Thomas Tuchel got the better of Jurgen Klopp on Thursday evening as Chelsea beat Liverpool 1-0 at AnfieldCredit: Reuters
Both managers are similar in style, tactics, and how they set their teams up with an attacking and high intensity philosophy.
Tuchel is brand new to the Premier League, a competition that his German counterpart won last season with Liverpool.
But on Thursday night at Anfield, Tuchel came out of Klopp’s shadow to out-fox his fellow German and beat his Liverpool side 1-0 in their own backyard.
Tuchel’s key decision was deciding to use Timo Werner as the main man up top – ironically a player that Klopp wanted before he moved to Chelsea in the summer.
Opting for Werner against Liverpool’s high defensive line and using his direct pace to get in behind was pretty much what won them the match – he was a problem for Liverpool all game. A real problem.
The German international didn’t get the goal – with one being ruled out for a controversial offside – but he was a threat in behind with the long ball and it set the tempo for the visitors and a preview of how they would get their winner.
It was Mason Mount who got the winning goal, coming from a similar pattern of play with a long ball and Chelsea counter attacking Liverpool’s high line and high press.
Tuchel will also be thankful for how solid and important his defence and two pivot midfielders were.
The German duo go back many years from their time in the BundesligaCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Mason Mount celebrates bagging Chelsea’s winnerCredit: AP:Associated Press
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Cesar Azpilicueta, Andreas Christensen, Antonio Rudiger, N’Golo Kante, and Jorginho were all superb for Chelsea, and it was a game where all their players really stepped up to get the win.
It was a huge three points for Tuchel and Chelsea, but a very much deserved three points.
Liverpool and Klopp didn’t really have anything to threaten Tuchel and Chelsea, and this was largely down to the great work the new boss has done to sure up the Blues defence, plus the tactic of using pace up front to get the best of their opponent’s high line.
There will be many more meetings between Tuchel and Klopp in the future, but for now this is very much advantage Tuchel.
Timo Werner caused Liverpool problems with his direct runningCredit: PA:Press Association
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Liverpool vs Chelsea as it happened
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
