Chelsea FC’s West Brom humiliation cannot be allowed to wreck Thomas Tuchel progress

Baggies humbling offers FC Porto a possible Champions League blueprint as fragilities exposed
POOL/AFP via Getty Images

How the hipsters will hate this. Sam Allardyce is not the type to follow the script – and he brought a shuddering halt to Thomas Tuchel’s dream start at Chelsea with the type of win that could have far-reaching consequences.

A 5-2 victory will do little for West Brom’s cause.

And the route-one nature of Matheus Pereira’s opening goal, following a good old-fashioned up-and -under from goalkeeper Sam Johnstone, will do nothing to dissuade the purists that Allardyce is anything other than a footballing dinosaur.

Ask social media and it will tell you he is worth little more than a meme in the age of Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp, Marcelo Bielsa and Tuchel.

That is an insult to a supremely successful career, whatever you think about his methods.

Allardyce will take West Brom down this season – the first time he has ever been relegated from the top-flight – but that does not erase his achievements in the game.

Tuchel will not forget his first experience of Big Sam.

The Chelsea manager’s job now is to make sure a humiliating afternoon does not derail a season that still promises so much.

The work to rebuild the confidence of a team that had forgotten how to lose began before they even walked off the pitch.

No sooner than the final whistle was blown and the German was out there, greeting every individual with a high five or handshake.

Next up is FC Porto in the Champions League quarter-finals, with Manchester City soon enough in the FA Cup semi-finals.

One defeat, no matter how chastening, cannot be allowed to destroy the impressive work he has done since taking over in January. But that is the danger.

Allardyce identified a way to hurt Chelsea. Even if all five goals came after the home side went down to 10 men courtesy of Thiago Silva’s red card after just 29 minutes, the visitors had Tuchel’s players rattled from the start.

Jorginho’s passing was wayward. Silva’s two bookings were the result of hapless, mistimed challenges from a player worried about the danger of allowing West Brom’s forwards to get too close to goal.

He was right to be concerned as the ruthless finishes of Pereira, Callum Robinson and Mbaye Diagne proved.

The question is what Porto, in particular, can learn from Big Sam. What fragilities did he see in a defence that had conceded just two goals in their previous 14 games?

Johnstone’s long ball completely bemused Kurt Zouma and Andreas Christensen as Pereira cancelled out Christian Pulisic’s opener.

But do not expect Porto to go route one on Wednesday.

What they might do is press Chelsea’s defenders in the hope of causing the sort of panic that led to Pereira’s second when Reece James and Jorginho got themselves into all kinds of trouble just outside the area.

The harrying of Jorginho was an issue for Chelsea all along – and that might well be the fault line opponents look to exploit between now and the end of the season, particularly with N’Golo Kante currently out with a torn hamstring.

While the goals against could be seen as an aberration, the problems at the other end continue a theme.

Timo Werner once again lacked any kind of goal threat, despite Tuchel’s robust defence of him beforehand.

He provided another assist for substitute Mason Mount, but his decision to pass, rather than shoot when little more than six yards out, spoke volumes about his complete lack of confidence in front of goal.

That, perhaps more than the truckload of goals conceded, should be Tuchel’s greatest concern if he is going to get Chelsea over the line in their three targets this season.

Porto on the mind

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Chelsea’s starting XI appeared to have as much to do with Porto as West Brom, with Mason Mount, Kai Havertz, Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen all on the bench.

Given Mount started all three games for England during the international break, it made sense to rest him.

And at least one of Rudiger and Christensen can expect to start the Champions League quarter-final first leg against Porto – probably both after Silva’s red card.

Squad management will be key in the final weeks of the season as Chelsea compete on three fronts.

Chelsea caught slumbering again

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Another early kick-off and more points dropped for Chelsea.

Tuchel’s only draws since taking charge at Stamford Bridge came in lunchtime kick-offs against Southampton and Leeds.

On this occasion, it got even worse, with him suffering his first defeat in the job.

Perhaps he is not a morning person. But whatever the reason, he needs to do something to wake his players up for these early starts.

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