In
his latest Sky Sports column, Paul Merson says Chelsea are in pole position
to finish in the Premier League's top four after Thomas Tuchel's "perfect"
start to life at Stamford Bridge, but insists the job is far from done for
the German and his side.
Tuchel continued his impressive unbeaten start to his Chelsea career with a
2-0 victory over top-four rivals Everton on Monday. The win, which followed
a 1-0 success at Liverpool last Thursday, consolidated the Blues' position
in the top four as they opened up a four-point lead over fifth-placed.
And in his latest column, Merson was full of praise for Tuchel and Chelsea
following an incredible 11-game unbeaten run since the German arrived to
replace Frank Lampard in January...
'Everything is going right for Chelsea
Tuchel'
Everything is going right for Chelsea and Touchel, at the moment.
They've had two big results against Liverpool and Everton to continue what
has been an unbelievable run and full credit has to go to Tuchel.
They were a real handful against Everton, and Kai Havertz epitomised that.
We finally saw his best on Monday, he was simply outstanding. I didn't
realise how quick he was! He was a real handful and the decision to bring
him in last night was rewarded.
When you are winning every week that's what happens.
The problems he has now is Havertz just had his best game for Chelsea by a
million miles, but I'd be surprised if he plays next week. Mason Mount was
outstanding against Liverpool but then he didn't play against Everton.
They look really good.
The one problem I still see is that they don't score a lot of goals. For all
the game they had against Everton, I thought it was a game where they
probably could have blown the opposition away. Some of the passing and some
of the movement was outstanding.
I really like the manager. He looks really good and has made a really
impressive start at Stamford Bridge.
'Back Three Obvious For Chelsea'
If there was one team in the country that could play with a back three, I
thought it was Chelsea.
They have actually got wing-backs rather than just full-backs, if I'm being
honest, and the switch has worked a treat.
If you look at Liverpool at the moment, it's probably the way they should
have gone. When you look back at it now, Jurgen Klopp should have been a bit
more flexible and thought we don't really have good defenders without Virgil
van Dijk and Joe Gomez. Maybe he should have been flexible and switched to a
back three to give the players a bit more protection and also, they have
wing-backs too in Andrew Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, who like to
go forward more than they do defending as well.
Tuchel has come in and spotted that at Chelsea, and Klopp could have learnt
a bit of a lesson from that.
Chelsea have been outstanding. Whoever has played in midfield out of Matteo
Kovacic, N'Golo Kante and Jorginho has been superb. Everyone who has played
has been a nine out of 10 since Tuchel's arrival.
The problem is if they dip to a seven or a six out of 10, how does he react?
What does he do then?
'Chelsea in pole position, but job not
done'
Chelsea are now in pole position to finish in the top four after a big week
of results, but it is not a foregone conclusion. They have to keep producing
right until the end of the season.
There are not too many concerns about injuries at the moment. They have a
really good squad and we've seen it utilised in the last few weeks by
Tuchel. Kante and Mount were rested on Monday, Olivier Giroud is on the
bench too and Tammy Abraham is not even getting a look in.
It's far from job done, though. They need to keep this run going because
we've already seen this season that things can change very quickly.
West Ham keep winning and Tottenham are flying again. It's lucky Chelsea
have been on this brilliant run and are in the position they are in because
otherwise, they'd have been out of it.
It's a big advantage for Tuchel that the players he's bringing in when he's
rotating his line-up are performing. He's rotated all the time and when you
look at other teams, their starting line-up picks itself and there isn't
much more to come in.
When you look at Chelsea, he's constantly changing, but he's also getting
the results. So, no-one is questioning or saying he doesn't know his best
team. When Frank Lampard was doing exactly the same, the team wasn't winning
football matches. It led to questions over what Lampard was doing, but he
was only trying to replicate what Tuchel is doing.
You just get away with it when you are winning every week. If they suddenly
lose two games on the trot and he's still changing things, then everyone
will turn around again and say he doesn't know his best team. It's a really
fine line between success and failure.
However, everything Tuchel has done so far has been perfect.
The only slight problem I picked up on was that he should have changed
things against Manchester United quicker. United were playing with such a
high line against Giroud and I thought the manager should have brought on
Werner a bit quicker, using him like they did at Anfield.
Bar that minor detail, he's been outstanding. If you were a schoolteacher,
you'd say A+!
'Klopp too blinkered at Liverpool'
Going back to Klopp and Liverpool, this is hard to say but I think Klopp has
been a bit blinkered.
It really is hard to say because he is a really top manager, but when you
look at their situation, you've got Robertson and Alexander-Arnold, who are
two of the best attacking full-backs in the country and they are up there as
two of the best in the world too. There is no doubt about that. You only
have to look at there assists and there crossing.
But, at the moment, they haven't got the personnel in defence to keep things
tight. If Van Dijk and Gomez aren't there, Liverpool's centre-backs aren't
good enough. That screams at me that they needed to switch to a back three.
That would give you bit more protection and it would just change things up a
bit. However, he stuck with 4-3-3 time and time again, and they've been
exposed.
'Fulham defeat not a shock'
Honestly, the Fulham result wasn't a shock to me.
The way Liverpool are at the moment, they are all over the place. They can't
defend and they are letting in too many goals, and Klopp should have been
able to take a step back and seen the need to change things up, play three
at the back and be fair to the players who have filled in in defence like
Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Nat Phillips and Ozan Kabak, who only arrived in
January.
You have to give them the best possible chance and give them a little bit of
protection. The full-backs love bombing on so straight away you know there
are going to be times when you are isolated during a game. At the moment,
with no Henderson or Fabhino in midfield, there's only James Milner to win
the ball back.
It all points to changing things up and giving the defence the best possible
chance, but he's just stuck with the same old thing and they've been found
out.
'Why Hasn't Klopp Changed Systems?'
The manager needs to take a look at himself and ask if he should've made a
change? It doesn't matter if you don't believe in something like three at
the back or never used it throughout your career because that's not the
point.
He needed to protect the players and try and get results. You can't just
keep putting the same team out in the same formation and say: 'We are
Liverpool. I've got three forwards who are going to score goals for fun like
they have over the last year or two years.'
They haven't done that, so you have to change and tighten up at the back. I
can't emphasise it enough, he could have easily gone with three at the back
to stop this rot and give them protection.
I just can't see why he hasn't done it.
There's a great saying in life that if you keep on doing the same thing, you
get the same results. Liverpool have kept on doing the same old things and
they've got the same results.
'Players Now Need To Step Up'
It's not been good at all. I've just asked a few questions of the manager
there but I think the players have got to take some responsibility too.
I've said all along that they've had some big injuries. It's been a tough
season in that respect for Klopp and his side. They've lost a Rolls Royce of
a centre-half in Van Dijk, they lost his partner in Gomez and they've lost
numerous others along the way, but it's gone too far now.
These players are at one of the best clubs and one of the best supported in
the world. They have now got to stand up and take responsibility.
They are at Liverpool to perform and not feel sorry for themselves because
of injuries. If they want to play for Liverpool, you cannot just wait and
rely on Van Dijk coming back. You cannot keep hiding behind Van Dijk's
injury.
This team have got to get together now and get in the top four. This club
needs to be in the top four. It's just slipping away too easily at the
moment.
I would go as far as to say losing six home games on the trot is pretty
embarrassing.
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