Thomas Tuchel arrived at Chelsea with a reputation of being a difficult personality.
But after a flying start to his Stamford Bridge revolution, the German boss has shown the players that he is anything but.
In fact, Tuchel’s facial expressions are very easy to read and tell the players all they need to know, according to Chelsea keeper Edouard Mendy.
Tuchel has quickly gained a reputation at Chelsea for being full of smiles, encouragement and positivity on the training pitch.
Incredibly, Chelsea have played eight games, won six, drawn two while scoring ten goals and conceding just two since he took charge at the end of January.
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Chelsea have stormed up the Premier League table and back into contention for the top four which was beginning to look difficult in the final days of Frank Lampard’s reign.
But a different voice also inspired Chelsea to their best result to date which came with their 1-0 win at Atletico Madrid which makes them favourites to reach the quarter finals for the first time since 2014.
Mendy says the whole squad now has more belief and a renewed confidence under Tuchel as the former Paris Saint Germain and Borussia Dortmund boss stamps his authority on the club.
Mendy said: “The coach gives confidence to all the players. We know what he wants so when we are on the pitch we have to show why he has chosen us.
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“It’s very positive for all the players because he gives us a lot of confidence and we need to improve and to play great football when we are on the pitch.
“He is very expressive. He shows when he likes something. When you did well on the pitch and every day at training and in the game he pushes you. He stays positive but he also shows his determination and that is good for me and the team.”
Tuchel admitted himself when he took over at Stamford Bridge that he needed to “improve” and stop falling out with clubs as things ended badly at Dortmund and in the sack at PSG.
But Tuchel has been a surprise in that he is very different to the perception, joking his way through press conferences while revealing a lighter side away from the pitch as he wants to explore London’s book and coffee shops when lockdown is over.
The mood has definitely changed at the club and has left the players believing they can kick on, starting with Sunday’s game against Manchester United but Mendy also wants to finish the job against Atletico and climb the table.
Mendy added: “We work for that. We work to win every game and yes we are still near the top of the league, we have a second leg against Atletico and yes we want more. To win every game. And we work for that.
“Man United is a very tough game. We remember the first game. It was very tough. This team plays very well. We play at Stamford Bridge so we have to show that we want to win this game because it’s a really important game for the league.”
