It was during pre-season that Thomas Tuchel and his coaching staff decided to count the number of players they'd be working with the following day. The number they came to was something of a shock.
“We wrote the names down and had 42 players in the building, that’s just not possible," Tuchel stated after Chelsea's friendly against Tottenham at Stamford Bridge.
“So from then on, we had to make some decisions to provide quality and intelligent training for the three groups who belong to us. And at the same time to select players we want to know better."
Tuchel would trim his first-team squad further as the end of the summer transfer window loomed. Yet come deadline day, there were three senior players whose futures were still far from certain.
One of those was Malang Sarr, the centre-back who had joined Chelsea on a free transfer from Nice one year earlier. Sarr had spent the 2020/21 campaign on loan at Porto but played as many minutes for their B side as the first team.
There was interest in the French defender from Germany; newly-promoted Bundesliga side Greuther Furth made an approach. But the deal collapsed late on and Sarr, through little fault of his own, had to remain at Chelsea.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek, meanwhile, had looked sharp in pre-season but was allowed to leave if a suitable loan offer arrived at Chelsea's door. It was a similar situation with Ross Barkley, who had lost his squad number to Mateo Kovacic and was available for transfer.
Yet come September 1, each one of that trio remained at Chelsea and that meant Tuchel had a decision to make. He either ostracised them and sent the three players to work with the Development Squad or he welcomed them into the first-team fold with open arms.
Tuchel went for the latter option. It's not one all previous Chelsea head coaches have taken. Under Andre Villas-Boas, for instance, both Alex and Nicolas Anelka were frozen out before eventually being sold. And Florent Malouda spent the last year of his contract away from the first-team building after refusing a move in the summer of 2012.
An excellent man-manager, Tuchel backed himself to incorporate Sarr, Loftus-Cheek and Barkley into his squad. There was no promise of game time, no guarantee of minutes, but a challenge was laid down: train hard, be professional, and you will have as good a chance of anyone of featuring come the weekend.
Tuchel was as good as his word and by mid-October – admittedly due to injuries – Sarr, Loftus-Cheek and Barkley had all featured in the Premier League for Chelsea.
Three months on and Loftus-Cheek has racked up 20 appearances in all competitions. Sarr has 10 to his name, all of which have been starts. And while Barkley's involvement has been largely limited to cameos from the bench, he has featured on 12 occasions.
Tuchel's willingness to utilise what is at his disposal rather than bleating to those above him and demanding signings is one of his many great qualities. The German doesn't see a player like Sarr as a problem, he views him as an opportunity, a chance to try something a little different if required.
That has been evidenced over the past three weeks with the 22-year-old stepping in at left-back and producing assured performances against Tottenham. In the process, it has unlocked a back-four system for Tuchel, something he had been hesitant to try for much of his first year at the helm.
And in the weeks ahead, we may see Tuchel repeat his trick of incorporating a player few expected to make an impact in the Chelsea first team this season. Namely, Kenedy.
The Brazilian was recalled from his loan at Flamengo this month and was expected to be shipped out to La Liga for the remainder of the campaign. Yet with the Blues unable to strike a deal with Lyon for the return of Emerson Palmieri, Kenedy, who was signed from Fluminese for £6.3 million in June 2015, has remained with Chelsea and has rejoined the first-team group.
It has been more than four years since the 25-year-old represented Chelsea; he has embarked on loans at Newcastle United, Getafe, Granada, and this season Flamengo. But with Ben Chilwell out for the remainder of the campaign and cover needed at left wing-back, Kenedy may be handed a Stamford Bridge lifeline.
”Kenedy is back and I’m very happy about it, this is huge," Tuchel said earlier this month. "It's a huge opportunity for him to make his mark at this club and within this team. We will try now from today on to push and support him as well as we can.
"We cannot say Kenedy is the solution. He can be a solution. But the situation has not changed: we have long-term injuries at wing-back, we suffered a lot."
Tuchel added: "Cross the river when you are at the river. We are not at the river yet. He [Kenedy] has to show if he is able to and if it’s his dream to make his mark. I like the guy, I like his personality and I like the player."
Unless an unexpected enticing offer arrives in the final hours of deadline day, Kenedy will see out the season with Chelsea and under Tuchel. And like those before him this season, he will almost certainly be given a fair chance to make his mark.
Tuchel deserves huge credit for this approach and it's what makes him the perfect man for Chelsea. He is a problem solver rather than a problem starter, and that has been proved time and time again throughout his tenure.
