Chelsea \u2018s Premier League title bid has been veering off-track in recent weeks and news has emerged that boss\u00a0Thomas Tuchel\u00a0could abandon the Blues should he encounter issues similar to the ones which marred his stint as\u00a0PSG\u00a0manager, according to reports.<\/p>\n
Romelu Lukaku has already run into problems with the German since his summer move, and he is not believed to be the only one, amid increasing rumors of discontent in west London.<\/p>\n
Things can certainly turn on their head in the space of a few Premier League weeks.<\/p>\n
Since Chelsea’s superb Champions League triumph in May and their early title charge this season, Tuchel was rarely the subject of anything other than high praise.<\/p>\n
But results took a big hit at the start of December, and they are yet to fully recover, despite Sunday’s 2-0 victory over\u00a0Tottenham.<\/p>\n
As\u00a0Manchester City\u00a0relentlessly plough on, Chelsea’s title challenge appears to be over as they sit 10 points behind Pep Guardiola’s side, having played a game more.<\/p>\n
Things taking a turn for the worst on the pitch is bad enough, but a report from\u00a0The Athletic\u00a0claims that a host of Chelsea stars, in particular their attacking players, are unhappy with the way they are being used under Tuchel.<\/p>\n
Lukaku’s controversial interview with\u00a0Sky Italia\u00a0indicated the first rumblings of such feelings, but others are reportedly in the same boat.<\/p>\n
After all, Timo Werner was signed for big money in 2020, and replaced by Lukaku the following summer, with neither frontman finding the same joy with Chelsea as they did at their previous clubs.<\/p>\n
With rumours of discontent growing, a report from the\u00a0Evening Standard\u00a0suggests that the right circumstances could soon arrive for Tuchel to jump ship.<\/p>\n
At PSG, Tuchel was sacked in late 2020, mere months after leading them to the Champions League final and their second consecutive Ligue 1 title under his guidance.<\/p>\n
However, sources close to him reportedly claim that his true struggles in Paris boiled down to power struggles with star players, and indeed sporting director Leonardo.<\/p>\n
If the German encounters the same frustrations at Chelsea, which could be on the horizon if sections of the dressing room continue to take issue with their manager’s methods, he has been tipped to ‘abandon any ambition to manage at another elite club’.<\/p>\n
Tuchel experienced a fairly rapid rise through the ranks as a top-level manager.<\/p>\n
After a modest playing career which ended at the age of 26, he spent five years with Mainz before moving on to\u00a0Borussia Dortmund\u00a0to replace Jurgen Klopp.<\/p>\n
An impressive stint then took him to the riches and ambition of PSG before moving onto Chelsea, where he quickly proved doubters wrong by inspiring an immediate turnaround after the unpopular dismissal of club legend Frank Lampard.<\/p>\n
At only 48 years old, there would appear to be plenty of miles left in the tank as a top-flight manager.<\/p>\n
But with power struggles reported to be taking hold at Stamford Bridge, it remains to be seen whether he will retain the hunger to deal with the issues that come with big names and big personalities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"