Chelsea owners face crucial decision after end of eventful Thomas Tuchel era

The timing of Thomas Tuchel's sacking by Chelsea came as a shock, just seven games into the 2022-23 season, but the manner of his exit was less surprising.

Tuchel's departures from Paris St-Germain and Borussia Dortmund were acrimonious and Chelsea had gone through 13 different managers in 19 years under Roman Abramovich's ownership.

As a short-term appointment Tuchel certainly delivered, winning the Champions League in May 2021, just four months after inheriting a struggling squad from Frank Lampard.

Success in Europe raised hopes that Chelsea would be serious contenders for the 2021-22 Premier League and, after ten matches, they were jostling for title favouritism with Manchester City.

Already, though, there were rumblings about Tuchel's uneasy relationship with new £97.5m striker Romelu Lukaku, who ended up making just 16 league starts before returning to Inter on loan.

And the Blues boss had more serious issues to worry about in April when Abramovich's assets, including Chelsea, were frozen as part of the UK government's sanctions on Russian oligarchs after the invasion of Ukraine.

Given the uncertainty over the club's future, Tuchel could feel satisfied with a season in which they finished third in the league, lost on penalties to Liverpool in both the EFL and FA Cup finals, and produced a spirited second-leg performance in a Champions League quarter-final exit against Real Madrid.

With new owners installed at the end of May and Kalidou Koulibaly and Raheem Sterling among the summer arrivals, there was some pre-season optimism around Stamford Bridge.

Ten points from six league games is not a disastrous start on paper but the Blues were fortunate to beat Everton 1-0, struggling Leicester 2-1 and West Ham 2-1 while defeats at Leeds, Southampton and Dinamo Zagreb probably sealed Tuchel's fate.

He is not a manager who disguises his frustration – squaring up to Antonio Conte after Tottenham scored an injury-time equaliser at Stamford Bridge last month – and his spiky personality may not have fitted the US-based consortium's vision for Chelsea.

On the pitch, Tuchel masterminded some superb defensive displays early in his reign but his attacking plans were less successful.

His successor takes over a side who have scored eight goals in seven games this season and must integrate another big-name striker – Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, whose reunion with his former Dortmund boss Tuchel lasted just 59 minutes in Zagreb.

Chelsea's Champions League triumphs in 2012 and 2021 came after mid-season changes of manager and they are 33-1 to be crowned European champions this term.

The Blues finished fourth and third in two Premier League seasons under Tuchel but they are already odds-against to make the top four in a competitive heat this term so the new owners are under pressure to get their first managerial appointment right.

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