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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
John Cross

Thomas Tuchel outwits Pep Guardiola again to usher in new Chelsea dynasty

A hilarious video has been doing the rounds of Thomas Tuchel doing his best Pep Guardiola impression.

There was the Chelsea boss on a hotel terrace in Porto, frantically waving his arms around in true Pep fashion before laughing when he realised someone had spotted him and filmed it.

And then on the pitch, Tuchel also had the last laugh with the sort of high energy, passionate and magnificent performance which has been a hallmark of his Chelsea reign.

They chased, they harried and outfought Manchester City in every department with Tuchel also outwitting Guardiola tactically.

N’Golo Kante was Chelsea’s stand out player, the driving force all over the pitch who bossed the game and the midfield dynamo has, almost as much as anyone, reinvented himself under Tuchel.

Kante covered an incredible amount of ground, every blade of grass and his presence was always going to be pivotal for Chelsea.

Yet it was Kante who could not get himself fit previously, his future had been uncertain but Tuchel has got him going again and that has been the story of his reign since taking over in January.

This seemed an impossible ask, a step too far against Chelsea against the team which Tuchel claimed was the best in the world.

Yet there was no substitute for passion and determination and the heroic Chelsea players just matched their manager’s enthusiasm on the touchline as he roared them on with instructions and encouragement.

While City’s tactics were hard to fathom as once again Guardiola looked as if he had overthought and complicated things, Chelsea were set up with every player knowing their job and their role.

Timo Werner’s energy helped him find space behind City’s defence, Guardiola’s midfield went AWOL when Kai Havertz burst through to score and these were two players who struggled until Tuchel took charge.

This was the night when Chelsea re-established themselves among the big boys, back as one of Europe’s elite and the chance to kick on again as a club.

Let’s not kid ourselves, not many managers stay long enough to put down roots let alone bother having new carpets fitted. And there’s no guarantee Tuchel will be around for the long term either.

But since the end of January, Tuchel has reinvigorated Chelsea and got them believing again.

This is the team, after all, which has not really made a genuine title challenge since they last won the Premier League under Antonio Conte.

Since then, the club has slipped backwards and, first, Frank Lampard and now Tuchel have bucked that trend.

But the difference that Tuchel has made is to bring really top class European experience to the job. They were down in eight place when Tuchel took charge in January, he led them back into the top four and to two cup finals.

Is Tuchel the best manager in the Premier League? Comment below.

You would definitely swap the Champions League for the FA Cup and for Chelsea to pull this off against all of the odds is a true remarkable achievement.

Three times to have the measure of Guardiola’s City, three times now Chelsea have beaten them under Tuchel in the FA Cup semi final, at the Etihad earlier this month and now in the Estadio do Dragao.

But this also feels like the beginning of the Tuchel era rather than the crowning glory and end result.

After all, Tuchel inherited a squad, he has yet had the chance to stamp his authority on the team and that is why they can get even stronger when he gets a transfer window this summer.

The flaws and weaknesses are obvious: goals and creativity. Timo Werner was big money signing but has not been prolific but signing a top centre forward can be a game changer for Chelsea next season.

But Chelsea look as if they have the hunger, desire and quality to make a sustained title challenge again next season.

This can be just the beginning for the Tuchel era - and he has already won the biggest trophy of all.

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