Chelsea are remembering why it helps to have a supervisor who trusts in his ways and elegance of play. Readability is returning after the vagueness that troubled them underneath Frank Lampard. Thomas Tuchel has come across a system that fits this facet and he’s discovering methods to revive gamers who appeared misplaced underneath Lampard, summed up by Timo Werner returning to his spiky greatest as Chelsea climbed into the highest 4 because of a cushty win over a dreadful Newcastle facet.
It seems a easy tactical shift was all Werner required to regain his perception after a torrid run in entrance of purpose. After toiling as a winger in Lampard’s favoured 4-3-3, he appears reworked as an inside-left. Werner is aware of the place properly from his time at RB Leipzig. It permits him to function in additional harmful areas and he thrived towards Newcastle, creating Olivier Giroud’s opener earlier than scoring for the second time in 20 matches.
Credit score should go to Tuchel for trusting Werner. It is a supervisor figuring out how greatest to deploy the array of attacking choices at his disposal and, as a rule, getting it proper. Tuchel has taken lower than a month to elevate his new facet out of mid-table and there may be already a special really feel to Chelsea: extra objective with the ball and extra aggression with out it.
He retains making the appropriate calls. His picks have been meritocratic and he has given alternatives to supposed misplaced causes. The most recent experiment was to present Kepa Arrizabalaga a primary begin within the Premier League since 17 October and the goalkeeper was achieved behind Chelsea’s again three, defending his clear sheet when he denied Joe Willock with an excellent late save.
It could have been undeserved if Willock’s header had crept previous him. Newcastle have been anaemic in defence and assault, offering Steve Bruce’s critics with additional ammunition. They’re seven factors above Fulham, who look resurgent in 18th place, and are removed from protected on this proof.
Chelsea have been dominant all through, taking their cue from Mateo Kovacic’s pressing passing from central midfield. There was an depth to their play and an intelligence to their coordinated patterns in assault. Newcastle have been shortly pinned again and have been lucky to not concede twice throughout the opening 10 minutes, escaping when César Azpilicueta’s header was cleared off the road earlier than Tammy Abraham nodded an excellent probability vast.
It was a poor miss from Abraham, whose night worsened when Kovacic launched him within the fifteenth minute. The striker appeared sure to open the scoring till Jamaal Lascelles intervened with an excellent problem, taking the ball earlier than enjoying the person. Chelsea’s appeals for a penalty have been appropriately waved away and it was not lengthy earlier than Abraham limped off, making means for Giroud.
The change made no distinction to Chelsea’s menace. Though Werner missed an ungainly probability from shut vary, he refused to let his head drop. His direct dribbling tormented Newcastle and his persistence paid off when he zipped clear within the thirty first minute, making house earlier than driving a low cross into the six-yard field. Karl Darlow may solely push the ball out to Giroud, who had a straightforward end.
Werner went shut once more, firing over from a Kovacic move. He saved going and after 39 minutes a nook hit Lascelles and bounced to Werner, who managed earlier than scoring within the league for the primary time since 7 November.
“He labored exhausting,” Tuchel stated. “Within the final recreation he was decisive with assists. Once more right now he has an help and a purpose. That is super-important for him. It’s an enormous reduction.”
Newcastle have been by no means going to get well from two objectives down. There was no spark to the guests. It felt like an train in harm limitation from begin to end and whereas allowances should be made for Callum Wilson’s absence in assault their lack of struggle was unimaginable to excuse.
The defending was feeble from such a unfavorable facet and there was no presence up entrance with out Wilson, who’s out for eight weeks with a hamstring harm. Miguel Almirón and Allan Saint-Maximin have been horrible.
“We discovered it very tough,” Bruce stated. “The second half we modified issues and had extra depth. I used to be happy. There are positives.”
But Chelsea cruised after the interval. Callum Hudson-Odoi, reborn as a wing-back in Tuchel’s 3-4-2-1, saved rumbling down the appropriate and firing in crosses. Mason Mount was as vibrant as ever.
Newcastle supplied nothing. Willock’s late header merely papered over the cracks.