THOMAS TUCHEL told Chelsea he needed the freedom to make any changes he wanted before agreeing to take over, according to reports.
ESPN reports the German told Stamford Bridge chief Marina Granovskaia he needed to be free to pick and drop players as he sees fit.
The former PSG boss was clear in his desire for free rein over team selection.
Tuchel is said to have wanted to be able to put big-money signings Kai Havertz and Timo Werner on the bench when he felt appropriate.
And he also wanted to bring back Antonio Rudiger and Marcos Alonso after the pair were axed by predecessor Frank Lampard.
Things couldn’t have gone better for Tuchel and his flexible approach to the starting XI.
The former Borussia Dortmund manager made it 12 games unbeaten with the 0-0 draw away at Leeds.
Tuchel equalled the runs of former Blues bosses Jose Mourinho and Luiz Felipe Scolari.
Scolari set off on fire in 2008 but was sacked by February 2009 – something Tuchel will be hoping to avoid.
Tuchel has the chance to break the record and take Chelsea into the Champions League quarter-final tonight.
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The Blues host Atletico Madrid in the last 16 second leg with a 1-0 lead and crucial away goal thanks to Olivier Giroud’s sensational bicycle kick.
Tuchel hasn’t been afraid to make bold selection calls and shocked everyone by leaving out Mason Mount for his first game in charge.
The Chelsea manager insisted the team he picked for Wolves first time out was ‘unfair’ because he had only been in the role a day.
Mount soon won his place back and continued where he left off under Lampard when he was virtually the first name on the team sheet.
Tuchel has welcomed Rudiger and Alonso back in to the fold after switching to three at the back, meaning Ben Chilwell has no longer been an automatic pick on the left.
The former Foxes ace could see his his England hopes dashed through a combination of a drop in game time and the phenomenal form of Manchester United’s Luke Shaw.
Havertz and Werner have found themselves on the bench on more than one occasion despite the pair costing over £120million last summer.
Tammy Abraham has also found himself vulnerable to Tuchel’s axe along with Callum Hudson-Odoi.
The England Under-21s star was introduced to a new position of right wing-back and impressed many in his new guise.
But the 20-year-old suffered the humiliation of being hooked 30 minutes after he came on as a sub against Southampton.
Tuchel even admitted he has been ‘a bit unfair’ with his treatment of Christian Pulisic after SunSport revealed the American will look to quit this summer if he does not play more.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
