Rio Ferdinand believes rebuilding of relationships with experienced players has been the huge difference for Thomas Tuchel compared to Lampard’s reign as Chelsea manager.
Tuchel remains unbeaten during his time as Chelsea head coach, guiding the blues back inside the top-four of the Premier League.
He has also helped Chelsea to the semi-finals of the FA Cup and the quarter-finals of the Champions League, beating La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid 3-0 on aggregate.
Ferdinand has been hugely impressed by Tuchel’s start to life at the club and how he has created a side who are difficult to beat.
‘It’s down to coaching on the training pitch, 100%,’ Ferdinand told Vibe with FIVE.
‘Being able to translate your ideas and what you need from individuals and as a collective and doing that on the TV screen in the classroom and getting it out on the pitch in training sessions.
‘One of the key things is having Kante central in midfield. The amount of balls he’s won back for that team to maintain possession and to maintain position on the pitch has been phenomenal.
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‘I think bringing experience back into the team and giving them more responsibility has been a big difference to Frank’s.
‘Frank definitely went with the younger players and I think that knocked a few of the older players’ noses out of joint and they may have reacted negatively towards that.
‘That created a problem. But these players have come back in – Tuchel has rounded up the experienced player and told them, you’re here, you’re my mainstay and the younger players you’re going to be a part of that as well.
‘But the older players, don’t worry, you’re with me and they’ve all bought back in after not feeling a part of it before.
‘I think it’s disappointing a little bit from a professional point of view, you’re thinking how would I react? I wouldn’t be happy but I wouldn’t try and destabilise stuff.
‘The murmurings coming out of things were trying to be destabilised by certain players, whether that’s true or not remains to be seen – it’ll come out in the wash.
‘You’d hope that wasn’t the case. But tactically he’s got them, he wants his team to be hard to beat, hard to play against. Hard agressive team.
‘They lose the ball, everyone gets back behind the ball, there’s an intensity, an understanding that’s the way we want to play, that’s the way we are.
‘Frank the team was a bit more fluid going forward and they scored more goals but they conceded more goals.
‘He thought I’ve got players that can nick me a result a 1-0 or a 2-0 on the counterattack or at a moment comes in the game, they’ll score us a goal, but I’m not conceding goals. That’s how it’s played out for him, it’s been amazing really.’
