I can’t say that I don’t enjoy highlighting Thomas Tuchel’s tactical brilliance but it's the simple things he does that please me most.
Simple decisions like starting Malang Sarr against Brentford at the weekend instead of rushing our star centre-half, Antonio Rudiger, back into the starting XI.
Squad depth has become the key to success in the Premier League. Fielding the same team on a weekly basis just isn't feasible for so many reasons, with players likely to pick up bad injuries if they're rushed back from the treatment room because the manager doesn't have faith in his squad.
That probably sounds like a pretty obvious statement to make, but Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer fell into that exact trap last weekend.
I’m sure he had his reasons for fielding Harry Maguire so soon after his return to training from an injury in Manchester United’s 4-2 thumping against Leicester, however, as Gary Neville pointed out on MNF, maybe the gaffer should have had a bit more faith in his backup options.
“I'm watching Thomas Tuchel give Sarr and [Trevoh] Chalobah their games [against Brentford] and their belief," the former United defender said.
"Maguire has been brilliant for United for the last two years but the first problem the manager had was selecting him. He had not trained for four weeks and was nowhere near fit."
Tuchel has an uncanny knack of unexpectedly bringing players out from the cold and into the limelight. So far this season, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Ross Barkley, Chalobah, and now Sarr have all benefitted from this coaching trait.
All of the aforementioned players have been gifted the opportunity to fight for their right to be in Tuchel’s starting XI on a regular basis and, for me, that’s what will put the Blues ahead in the race for the title.
With his Premier League debut finally ticked off, can Sarr really cement his place in the Chelsea first team? With the likes of Thiago Silva, Andreas Christensen, Cesar Azpilicueta and Rudiger all ahead of him in the pecking order, the likelihood is rather slim - but it’s worth a try.
His performance at the weekend was oozing with confidence, however, there were moments of uncertainty from the France U21 international as Brentford piled on the pressure in the second half.
Sarr wasn't the only shock inclusion in Tuchel’s side over the weekend. The trip to Brentford saw Jorginho start on the bench with Loftus-Cheek named in midfield.
Questions have been previously raised as to whether RLC will get enough game time under Tuchel given the obvious necessity to start midfield metronome Jorginho - it's fair to say the Euro 2020 winner's absence was barely even a footnote in the game as RLC took centre stage.
We're now at a point where big names in the squad don't matter - Tuchel's team selections are made with the club's best interests at heart.
If a star player is struggling with injury, Tuchel is brave enough to field a player who we've not seen much of. It helps keep the fringe players on their toes and offers players hope that there's always a route back into the side.
It’ll be interesting to see what other changes the German will make going forward. As the games begin to pile up and the schedule gets even more packed, will he look to give some of the academy members a chance?
One thing I know for certain is that other managers in the league could take a leaf out of his book.
What do you think about Tuchel's decision to add Sarr and Loftus-Cheek to the mix? Follow our CareFree Chelsea trends writer Anita Abayomi on Twitter to get involved in the discussion and give us your thoughts in the comments section below.
