Things can change very quickly in football. Often, those changes are for the worse. One day you’re challenging for the title, next month you’re sacked in midtable. One day you win a title, next season you’re flirting with relegation. One day you win the Big Ears, one day not six months later you get the big boot.
But sometimes things can also change quickly for the better, often after changing quickly for the worse. They don’t call it the new manager bounce for nothing! Or in the case of Christian Pulisic (and Thiago Silva, too), the not-so-new manager bounce.
“It’s been good so far. We’ve got a new outlook on things, we have had a really good win so it’s been a positive start.
“It’s been some crazy times recently and just to get a win left all the guys in the changing room really excited. We have had a lot of fun in training and there are smiles on faces which is good to see.”
But what bounces up, must come down. Tuchel’s had a decent start, with a home win and home draw against teams in the bottom half of the table. But his predecessor had looked at these games as easy wins to help him turn things around as well. The big test comes in two days, away to Spurs. They may be in bad form, but it’s a rivalry and it’s José and it’s going to get emotional.
“It’s a good time to play them coming off a good result for us.
“We’re feeling confident. We’re really excited. It’s a good chance to make a statement and most importantly really build some momentum. We know what a good result against a good team could do for us.”
-Christian Pulisic; source: Chelsea FC
Confidence is high, but can we make it count?