London (AFP)

For its first match under the orders of Thomas Tuchel arrived Tuesday, Chelsea could not do better than a draw (0-0) against Wolverhampton on Wednesday for the 20th day of the Premier League.

With this point, Chelsea have 30 units and point to 8th place, 5 lengths from the top 4 which qualifies for the Champions League, while Wolves remain stuck in the second half of the standings (13th with 23 points).

After the somewhat surprising dismissal of Frank Lampard at the start of the week, we cannot say that there was a real psychological shock.

But for the former PSG coach, dismissed just before Christmas, this first contact with the competing team was rather encouraging.

For his first eleven, Tuchel had played it safe and experienced, relegating to the bench Reece James, Tammy Abraham or especially Mason Mount, players brooded by Lampard and who had yet not unworthy of their posts.

A choice, however, more dictated by the little time he had to take stock of his workforce than by a message intended for young people.

In an interview with the club's website, published in the afternoon, he assured that he liked "not only to have young players (in his workforce), but young players out of the training center".

"There has to be a way to take these guys forward," he added.

But for Wednesday's match, his choices benefited Cesar Azpilicueta, Olivier Giroud and Kaï Havertz, tenured in a role of attacking midfielder alongside Hakim Ziyech, while Antonio Rüdiger, one of the three Germans in the workforce, was titular in defense, to the detriment of Kurt Zouma.

- Chelsea came close to correctional -

In his tracksuit and royal blue parka, he was also very active on the sideline, giving instructions at almost every stoppage of play.

Arrived only Tuesday evening and with only one training session with his group, Tuchel tried to make his mark on his team and in particular his immoderate taste for possession of the ball.

The company specializing in sports statistics, Opta, has counted 433 successful passes in the first period alone for the Blues, unheard of for the Londoners since they began to compile this data in the 2003/2004 season.

Arranged in a sort of 3-4-2-1 at the start of the match, with Callum Hudson-Odoï and Ben Chilwell as pistons on the sides, Chelsea however struggled to be dangerous.

Opposite, the Wolves who, since they beat the Blues (2-1) in the first leg, in mid-December, have only taken 2 points in 6 matches, have been very careful.

Over the course of the meeting, the attempts became more threatening.

Matteo Kovacic saw his shot graze the skylight (83rd) and Hudson-Odoi his shot be boxed by Rui Patricio (85th).

But the Londoners also came close to the correctional on a breakthrough by Pedro Neto all in power, completed by a clever ladle, which bounced off the top of the bar of Edouard Mendy out to meet him (71st).

The cross has saved Tuchel from becoming the first Chelsea manager to lose their first game at Stamford Bridge since Gianluca Vialli in 1998, but he knows expectations are high and impatience real.

© 2021 AFP