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Topics: Chelsea, Premier League, Thomas Tuchel
Daniel Marland
Chelsea's new owners reportedly attempted to draw up a '4-4-3' formation for former manager Thomas Tuchel - which included 11 outfield players.
Tuchel was sacked on Wednesday following a 1-0 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League.
Tensions between the 49-year-old and Todd Boehly had been rising for a number of weeks and an article from The Athletic has detailed how their relationship broke down 'from both sides'.
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It's said Tuchel grew frustrated with Boehly and co-owner Behdad Eghbali's interference, who wanted to discuss transfer targets on a daily basis.
One of those was Cristiano Ronaldo, who expressed his desire to leave Manchester United in the summer.
Boehly saw Ronaldo as a marquee signing in his first transfer window as owner but Tuchel pushed back against a move.
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Tuchel's opinion on managing such a huge ego was informed by his time at Paris Saint-Germain, where his players included Kylian Mbappe and Neymar.
Boehly is said to have thought Tuchel was a 'nightmare' to work with and cited communication issues. That was backed up by Tuchel not speaking to one first-teamer about his place in the squad for over a year.
One incident, which has been denied by Chelsea, saw Boehly and Eghbali put together a '4-4-3' formation for Tuchel.
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The article reads: "Boehly and Eghbali made a bad impression on Tuchel in one early recruitment meeting by accidentally drawing up plans for a team in a 4-4-3 formation, something Chelsea deny happening.
"Tuchel and his staff encountered what they felt were several ‘slapstick’ moments as the owners adapted to the rules and setup of football."
Tuchel had four key targets in the summer and none of them were delivered.
Matthijs de Ligt and Raphinha joined Bayern Munich and Barcelona respectively, while Frenkie de Jong and Presnel Kimpembe remained with Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain.
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Graham Potter has been announced as the new Chelsea boss and he first spoke to Boehly in the summer, when the Blues were negotiating with Brighton for Marc Cucurella.
Boehly was impressed with Potter's abilities and appeared to be 'satisfied' he could make the step-up to a top six club.
Potter guided Brighton to a ninth place finish last season and they're currently fourth in the Premier League.