When Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich proved no-one's history at the club could shield them from his ruthless pursuit of success by sacking the iconic figure of manager Frank Lampard in January, he was following a well-worn formula.
Abramovich has a habit of acting brutally but with ultimately successful outcomes – so it was no surprise that as Lampard went out of one door at Stamford Bridge, in came the experienced, proven managerial expertise of Thomas Tuchel.
Chelsea were ninth in the Premier League when Lampard was dismissed, the statement confirming his departure insisting the club was "without any path to sustained improvement".
Tuchel has had the required transformative effect. Their FA Cup semi-final win over Manchester City, following on from the Champions League quarter-final victory over Porto, certainly qualifies as sustained improvement after Lampard's latter-day struggles.
- Watch: Chelsea reach FA Cup final as Ziyech ends Man City's quadruple hopes
Abramovich's most spectacularly successful changing of the Chelsea guard came in March 2012, when he sacked Andre Villas-Boas after less than a year in charge and replaced him with interim Roberto di Matteo, who promptly went on to win the FA Cup and the Champions League in a quite remarkable series of events.
It was not a long-term success and Di Matteo lasted only a matter of months after his permanent appointment and those great triumphs – but could Tuchel be about to reward another Abramovich intervention in similarly successful fashion?
Tuchel carries more of a sense of permanency, if that word can ever be used about any manager at Stamford Bridge, than Di Matteo ever did and watching Chelsea subdue then overcome Manchester City so impressively at Wembley suggests a similar double is not beyond them.
Roberto di Matteo's reign as Chelsea boss lasted eight months
Chelsea will be favourites in the FA Cup final against Leicester City or Southampton and while Real Madrid showed their enduring class and resilience by beating Liverpool over two legs in the Champions League, Tuchel has every right to be cautiously confident against Zinedine Zidane's side.
This knockout tie against Manchester City, won by Hakim Ziyech's goal, could yet be a rehearsal for the Champions League final in Istanbul on 29 May, with the Premier League champions-elect playing Tuchel's old club PSG in their semi-final.
If that is the case, Chelsea can take huge confidence in the way their manager planned for this game and the manner in which his players carried out the strategy of closing City down and using the pace of Ziyech and Timo Werner to emerge as the better side and deserving victors.
Tuchel possesses the sort of authority and track record from his career at the likes of Borussia Dortmund and PSG to command the instant respect of his players and his record at Chelsea so far acts as the proof.
He is the first German manager to reach the FA Cup final and since his first game in charge in January, Chelsea have kept 14 clean sheets in 19 games, more than any other side in the top five European leagues. It is also one more than in Lampard's 29 games in charge this season.
Tuchel had failed to beat Guardiola in five previous attempts as a manager – two at Mainz and three at Borussia Dortmund – so everything about this win would have tasted sweet.
One look at his touchline demeanour confirms his demanding approach – a minor error from Werner bringing a full-on hop, skip and jump of fury from his manager.
Tuchel has organised Chelsea superbly at the back, City barely having a chance, while N'Golo Kante and Jorginho provide a formidable obstacle as well as creation in midfield, along with the increasingly mature and outstanding Mason Mount.
Chelsea restricted Manchester City to only three shots on target
Werner's end product continues to be erratic but he unselfishly set up Ziyech's winner and those inclined to criticise his contribution since his £47.5m move from RB Leipzig may note he has been directly involved in 19 goals for Chelsea this season – 10 of his own and nine assists – which is three more than any other player at the club.
Kai Havertz only came on as a late substitute but the young German is also showing signs he is settling at Chelsea after problems with illness and form to suggest he will become a prize asset.
The main man at the moment, however, is Tuchel.
He has shown tactical expertise, restoring the influential Antonio Rudiger in defence and putting the superb Kante at the heart of his plans, while using his experience to get victories against his celebrated peers such as Jose Mourinho at Spurs, Liverpool's Jurgen Klopp, Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti and now finally Guardiola.
Confidence, momentum and form are priceless commodities at this stage of the season and as Chelsea and Tuchel set their sights on the FA Cup final, the Champions League semi-final and a place in the Premier League top four, they currently possess all three in abundance.
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Comment posted by michael, at 23:28 17 Aprmichael
23:28 17 AprAs Champions Chelsea were the first English club invited to play in the European Cup, but the FA wouldn’t allow them.
This is when Liverpool were a regular Division Two side.
Chelsea, along with Barcelona are the only two clubs to hold the EUFA Cup and European Cup at the same time.
Chelsea are the second English club to win every trophy available to a club side.
Small club, no history ?34647
Comment posted by Abu Ethan, at 07:37 18 AprAbu Ethan
07:37 18 AprWell done Chelsea. Great resul. But was I the only one getting irritated at the pundits saying over and again that the Man City quadruple was on the line? Surely a quadruple is only on the line if you’ve already won three titles and are in the semis or final of the fourth. Despite their league position, City haven’t actually won anything yet. Any talk of quadruples was just sloppy2195
Comment posted by Gazza1955, at 22:07 17 AprGazza1955
22:07 17 AprLoathed at first for replacing the legend that is Frank Lampard, Tuchel deserves respect for shaping a team which has the potential to get better and better1709
Comment posted by LondonsFinestClub, at 22:01 17 AprLondonsFinestClub
22:01 17 AprTuchel is still learning his trade at the top table. He is a humble but ambitious man and speaks directly and honestly. There are no mind games!. He seems strangely sane15930
Comment posted by hiphopanonymous, at 22:36 17 Aprhiphopanonymous
22:36 17 AprTop manager.
Chelsea lucky to have him.
Very exciting group of players.
The sky is the limit for them.
Not a Chelsea fan btw.13813
Comment posted by Bricksnmortar, at 22:51 17 AprBricksnmortar
22:51 17 AprI keep remembering Frank Lampard, right up to the end of his tenure, saying “we are a work in progress”. Seems now that he simply wasn’t ready. Maybe he is still a work in progress, I’m sure there will be another job and a chance to improve his knowledge if he doesn’t set the bar too high.1046
Comment posted by InvernessFan, at 22:25 17 AprInvernessFan
22:25 17 AprI hope Gilmour is given more game time. He is a good Scottish player.977
Comment posted by MarkyBoy, at 22:43 17 AprMarkyBoy
22:43 17 AprAn even better bit of business was getting rid of Willian and inflicting him on Arsenal… ;-)7718
Comment posted by witeter, at 23:14 17 Aprwiteter
23:14 17 AprFantastic tactical match carried out by Chelsea, win totally deserved. Really enjoying Tuchels way of playing, onwards and upwards.508
Comment posted by Michael D, at 01:11 18 AprMichael D
01:11 18 AprDone well and a much better manager, sadly, than Lampard will ever be. But he is a volatile chap so it may not last.
For now he proves that the goodwill towards Lampard was well meaning but ultimately misplaced if you want to run a football squad properly
Unfortunately the clamour for home-grown managers is not going well with Rooney struggling at Derby and Parker about to relegate Fulham5011
Comment posted by Snowy, at 07:43 18 AprSnowy
07:43 18 AprI was quietly confident yesterday. I am usually nervous as a kitten when we play ‘big’ clubs.
At the moment I think we are able to compete with anyone. Testing games ahead but Tuchel working with the same players as Lamps has been brilliant and never more so than yesterday.
Kepa a whole 90 mins without a howler. There is hope.371
Comment posted by Abu Hudhaifah, at 01:59 18 AprAbu Hudhaifah
01:59 18 AprObviously Thomas Tuchel’s work at Chelsea has been remarkable. What a transformational coach. I could not imagine he is getting results with the same set of players Lampard couldn’t use. Defensively, Chelsea is the best in Europe since TT was appointed.364
Comment posted by El_Cuervo, at 21:59 17 AprEl_Cuervo
21:59 17 AprChelsea will beat Real Madrid I fear.
GG357
Comment posted by Dabbadoo, at 05:47 18 AprDabbadoo
05:47 18 AprI almost wrote Chelsea off but then all of a sudden the engine is revving. The way they play is exciting. They posses, they challenge with dominance and they ask questions from minute 1.304
Comment posted by Clarkster, at 06:49 18 AprClarkster
06:49 18 AprHopefully Levy watching the transformation at Chelsea and the difference a good manager can have on a team will spark action for next season. Not a Chelsea fan surprisingly, but you have to admire their turnaround from a few months ago.250
Comment posted by East Coast Warrior, at 22:45 17 AprEast Coast Warrior
22:45 17 AprThe pundits just stuck up for their English international pal. It’s admirable in a way that they did that for a friend, but it was poor analysis and punditry.316
Comment posted by -1, at 22:13 17 Apr-1
22:13 17 AprYes it Sure looks like our owner has done his magic all over again long may he continue, Are you watching Spuds. another defeat next week easy City win.307
Comment posted by blue, at 08:28 18 Aprblue
08:28 18 AprGood god there’s some real sour grapes on here, both teams played hard CL games mid week, both teams made changes, that’s what a squads for , chelsea’s tactics were spot on, they nullified city’s danger chelsea’s in the final that must (p)iss a few people off i guess210
Comment posted by matt, at 23:10 17 Aprmatt
23:10 17 AprVery happy today, well done Chelsea for stopping man city so call quadrup, very good game well organized full of confidence, go on and win champions league255
Comment posted by kinsang, at 09:59 18 Aprkinsang
09:59 18 AprIf Chelsea had lost yesterday, I wonder if there was an article in waiting along the lines of ‘Tuchel under pressure to deliver top 4 or win CL’. So much emphasis being put on this one win. This is nothing against Chelsea, but just a criticism of journalists who have probably written various articles on teams, changing their mind on a regular basis on the job they are doing.180