• June 24, 2022
• Helgi Llozana

Give Tuchel better attackers and no more no. 9s, please

More than a bad player in principle, something that would be cynical to say, Romelu Lukaku was a wrong cultural fit. Instead of being the multidimensional striker he pretended to be, willing to press high and drop deep, he proved to be just the one-dimensional profile that only fits a counter-attacking system.

Out of desperation to see him succeed even when it became clear that it was a lost cause, a section of the fanbase questioned (and still do) Tuchel’s ability to “play to his strengths” or “adapt to his characteristics”.

This narrative is false for a number of reasons. The main one is that Lukaku clearly didn’t want to be at the Club. He lied about the excitement of returning, confirming that he made the switch to Chelsea primarily for the lucrative wage increase.

Secondly, put yourself in Tuchel’s shoes for a moment: As Michael Cox puts it brilliantly in his book, Zonal Marking, Tuchel’s idea of football is a hybrid of the possession-based Spanish philosophy which dominated the international stage from 2008 until 2012 and the German gegenpressing style, consisting of an immense work-rate on and off the ball both individually and as a team.

How can a manager who has followed this particular approach since his early coaching days at Augsburg II, and through which he has managed to earn the reputation of being one of the best managers in modern football, betray it and convert to an Italian counterattacking style for just one player?! And when the player is somebody who gives up after three months despite the warm reception he got, it makes even less sense.

In addition, it is Lukaku, not Lionel Messi. OK, he is far from a poor player (in his own habitat), but if you go through his career all you see are just two major trophies and an ability to thrive in either low-pressure teams (West Bromwich, Everton) or in teams with little to no competition (Inter in Serie A 20/21). The moment the stake became higher and the lights became brighter, he failed to deliver. (Chelsea, Manchester United) In this manner, there is little to suggest he should have been a guaranteed starter.

Last, but not the least, the 29 year-old’s surprisingly turbulent nine months in west London added fuel to the fire of the general debate questioning Tuchel’s ability to improve the attackers and more specifically, the No. 9s. With all due respect, approving such a take is a very narrow-minded opinion and here are three reasons why:

Tuchel’s past record with forwards

Tuchel’s past record with attacking players is impressive. Yes, you may argue that Neymar and Kylian Mbappé, for example, are big fish in a small pond, but nonetheless, the Brazilian recorded 51 goals and 32 assists in 62 games under the Bavarian manager, while the Frenchman netted 83 times in 98 games; the most he has found the back of the net under any manager so far. Furthermore, Angel Di Maria can’t be ignored, as he boasts a tally of 36 goals in 101 games under Tuchel. At first glance, Di Maria’s numbers aren’t dazzling but upon scrutiny you realise that he has not been this productive under any of the other managers he has worked with.

Let’s wind the clock further back and focus on some other, perhaps less illustrious names. Many football fans are aware of the fruitful work Tuchel did with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, leading him to 79 goals, not everyone is informed about the two successful stints Andre Schürrle had under his guidance, netting 41 goals at Mainz and Dortmund combined.

A host of other established attackers including Marco Reus and Henrikh Mkhitaryan enjoyed a respectable period with the 48 year-old at Signal Iduna Park, and even young talents such as Christian Pulisic and Ousmane Dembelé came into prominence through his willingness to promote them.

Lukaku’s season shows an extinction of traditional center forwards

Romelu Lukaku’s disappointing season is not a one-off. If we see the assess it from a more general viewpoint, he is merely a casualty in the context of a sharp cultural shift football is undergoing. This shift is well-summarised by a speech Roberto Mancini, the Italy national team head coach, gave at Coverciano school of Italian coaches around 14 years ago, where he said that the next position to be extinct would be the one of the classic, orthodox number 9.

You may argue that Lukaku is not the most old-fashioned No. 9, but my point is that he is far from the profile capable of fulfilling the principle of universality, pioneered by visionary names like Valeriy Lobanovskiy and Arrigo Sacchi in the previous century, becoming a must for the prosperity of proactive teams nowadays.

Take a close look around and you will notice a growth in the tendency a considerable number of attacking sides have to orientate their attacking firepower around either a versatile, out-and-out 9 (Benzema, Kane, Lewandowski) or more commonly, a totally mobile frontline consisting of no out-and-out striker. Lukaku is not versatile.

Prolificity of other attackers at previous clubs

Lukaku, Kai Havertz and Mason Mount aside, it is fair to say the other attackers weren’t black pearls in their previous clubs, so it’s difficult to make the case that their form has deteriorated under Tuchel.

Despite his decent goal scoring record, Timo Werner showed his flaws during his first four or five months as a Blue, because the lack of spaces behind the opposition defensive lines and the inability to play either as a left winger or as a center forward, exposed a rendered him often toothless in front of goal.

There is a similar pattern in Callum Hudson-Odoi’s and Christian Pulisic’s cases. Both started their professional careers brightly at Chelsea academy and Borussia Dortmund respectively, but as it stands, the fan frustration surrounding their struggles to put chances away and stay consistently fit outweighs the initial enthusiasm about their potential.

Hakim Ziyech is the only one I genuinely feel sorry about, as he has delivered sharp, creative and direct performances whenever Tuchel has opted for a four-at-the-back system, so that he has had license to keep the width on the right instead of playing in a less comfortable, inverted position.

Conclusion

The purpose of this article was not to discuss Lukaku alone, but to also explore every discussion that has been directly or indirectly triggered through his status quo in the Chelsea squad. In this way, I hope the new structure of the hierarchy will sow the right seed in terms of recruitment. Some might say Manchester City and Liverpool create more chances than we do, but sometimes stats are confusing, as in this case, only eye test catches the abundance of spontaneous creativity on one side and the scarcity of it on the other.

Hopefully Chelsea doesn’t have to deal with another Lukaku “clone” in the near and even distant future. Chelsea would do well to target signings that can provide a package of skills, effectiveness and aesthetics, in order to help the club reach new heights and compete for everything sustainably, with Tuchel at the helm.

Sources: Sportskeeda, Zonal Marking, Inverting The Pyramid.

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