Chelsea under Tomas Tuchel vs Chelsea under Frank Lampard

The honeymoon phase is glorious, whether it’s a new relationship, a new ‘favorite’ pair of jeans, or if you are Chelsea with a new manager.

Since Chelsea sacked Frank Lampard on January 25 and soon after brought in Tomas Tuchel, they have gone from ninth place in the English Premier League table to fifth.

The ex-PSG boss not only has the Blues looking like a team that could earn an automatic bid to next year’s UEFA Champions League with a fourth-place finish, but they are now just six points behind their rival, Manchester United, for second place in the title race.

The only question supporters have now is, can Tuchel sustain his current upturn of results?

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Tomas Tuchel vs. Frank Lampard

Tuchel’s early success is not unusual, in fact, it is expected. Sue Bridgewater, a professor at Warwick Business school in the UK, analyzed the average points per Premier League before and after sacking a manager and found that: “there is a boost for a short honeymoon period.”

However, Tomas Tuchel’s results through his first six games are the best start for a new Chelsea manager since Roberto Di Matteo, back in 2012.

Tuchel is averaging 2.3 points a match compared to Frank Lampard, who averaged just 1.3 points through his first six EPL appearances with the Blues.

Below will be a full breakdown of Thomas Tuchels stats compared to Frank Lampard’s stats examining their first seven games as a Chelsea manager:

From the table above, it is clear that the German tactician already has the Blues playing a much more well-rounded style of play than they were under the Englishman.

Still, at a club like Chelsea, who is on their 18th manager since the 2000s, he will only be judged on his ability to finish in the top four or not.

Are Chelsea Favorites to Make the Top 4?

Chelsea should be favorites to make the top four in a race that has been up and down all season, but they have a tough series of fixtures ahead.

They will play Manchester United, Liverpool, and Everton in the next two weeks, along with a Champions League appearance against Athletico Madrid.

If he can help earn Chelsea at least six of the possible nine points in their league matches and outwit Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone, the fan base will finally be able to see that, although the decision to fire Frank Lampard was somewhat ruthless, it was ultimately a good one.

Do you think Chelsea will finish in the top 4? Or will Thomas Tuchel regress to the mean and see an end to the honeymoon phase? Let us know in the comment below.