A curious debate is swirling around the success of Thomas Tuchel’s remarkably miserly but often thrilling side
A couple of weeks ago the Netherlands coach, Louis van Gaal, got into an argument with a scornful Dutch journalist about Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea. “The one that applauds defensive
Football is you,” the journalist said. “You want to play the same way as
Chelsea and
Liverpool.” At this provocation, Van Gaal shifted himself a fraction of an inch higher in his seat, like a praying mantis preparing to snap the head off a snake.
“Is that defensive football in your opinion?”