Thomas Tuchel relationship with a number of Chelsea players deteriorated before sacking

Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea reign fell apart after his relationships with players deteriorated, frustration over transfer business and not fitting in with the new ownership’s project.

The German has been sacked just three months after the Todd Boehly-led consortium formally completed the takeover of Chelsea.

The Blues suffered an abysmal 1-0 defeat to Dynamo Zagreb in the Champions League group-stages last night in his 100th match in charge, which has seen the Blues take action.

Tuchel’s relationship with players deteriorated and performances massively nose-dived

It was, however, not to do so much with results and more the fact of deteriorating relationships with star players at Stamford Bridge.

Tuchel also made it clear that he did not enjoy the extra responsibility he was given in the transfer window after Boehly handed him more power and a greater say on Chelsea’s business.

Not only that, Boehly’s interest in signing Cristiano Ronaldo provided an early difference of opinion, with the American reluctant to simply take “no” for an answer from Tuchel, who, according to the Telegraph, seemed exasperated at having to explain his reasons for not wanting the Portuguese.

Co-Owner Todd Boehly was ‘not happy taking a “no” on signing Cristiano Ronaldo (pictured)

Crucially, the owners want a coach they can invest in for the future and who they believe is prepared to make an equal commitment. 

The first 100 days with Tuchel did not offer enough encouragement that he would relish their style or help create the culture they want to breed.

The boss recently also reiterated his disappointment that former technical and performance advisor Petr Cech left Stamford Bridge following the takeover.

After the summer rebuild and a poor start to the new season, which sees Chelsea sitting sixth in the Premier League, it has been claimed that Tuchel’s relationship with a number of Chelsea’s squad has deteriorated. 

His team selections have caused surprise and, at times, frustration among players who felt they have been unfairly left out or played out of position. That appeared to be evident in Zagreb.

The boss has been bringing players back into the team before dropping them again regularly. 

 Hakim Ziyech started the defeat to Southampton, despite the fact he had been trying to negotiate a move out of Chelsea, with Christian Pulisic taking his place in the following game against West Ham United. 

Ziyech did not look like a man trying to do his head coach any favours when he was thrown on at half-time in Zagreb

It appears to have been a deeper routed issue as the performances have got worse over time and in his last 50 games they have conceded 53 goals, a sign of the breakdown defensively which is hampering their trophy prospects.

Therefore Tuchel’s legacy has drastically collapsed since he arrived at Stamford Bridge in 2021 to replace Frank Lampard, he hit the ground running by winning the Champions League in six months.

Tuchel hit the ground running by winning the Champions League in his first six months

Last season Chelsea reached the Carabao Cup and FA Cup finals, only to lose to Liverpool on both occasions. They also finished third in the Premier League.

In a bid to bridge the gap to champions Manchester City and Liverpool, Chelsea’s new ownership invested heavily in the summer, a record spend in one window for a Premier League club at more than £260million.

Wesley Fofana arrived from Leicester, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang came in from Barcelona, while Raheem Sterling was the marquee first signing from Manchester City.

The German made it clear that he did not enjoy having a say on the club’s transfer business

But Chelsea have made a stuttering start ahead of Saturday’s match against Fulham having already lost three times this season, all away from home at Southampton, Leeds and on Tuesday in Zagreb.

The 49-year-old’s departure will no doubt put pressure on Boehly, given his popularity among the Blues supporters following the 2021 Champions League success.

Tuchel also gained a lot of respect when he became the club’s spokesperson when restrictions were placed on the club, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the sanctions imposed on former owner Roman Abramovich.