Few players enjoy playing Southampton more than Olivier Giroud. The striker has scored seven Premier League goals in 12 appearances against the Saints, as well as an FA Cup semi-final strike at Wembley back in 2018, and will be hoping to make his third start under Thomas Tuchel when the Blues visit St Mary’s this lunchtime.

Chelsea’s attacking set-up has varied under the German so far but tends to feature either Giroud or Tammy Abraham as the focal point up top. The latter got the nod last time out against Newcastle but left the field injured after just 20 minutes, leading to Giroud’s introduction and subsequent breakthrough goal.

Abraham has recovered from that heavy whack to his leg, leaving Tuchel with decisions to ponder, although there is no doubt in the new head coach’s mind of what his 34-year-old forward can offer.

‘He’s one of the top strikers in the box, physically strong and he has an incredible first touch when he takes balls directly on the volley,’ Tuchel said of Giroud’s attributes.

‘He’s very strong on headers as well and he did an amazing game against Newcastle. He is very positive in training and right now he plays a key role in a squad where we have a lot of young offensive players.

‘He is a key figure, maybe not because he plays 96 minutes every three days, but with the way he behaves and with his experience on a daily basis. He has been having a huge impact in the most positive way that we can wish for.’

The Frenchman, who has 15 goals for club and country this term, signed a one-year contract extension at Stamford Bridge last May that runs until the end of the current campaign. While not willing to commit to a decision either way at this time, Tuchel has clearly been impressed with what he’s seen from Giroud so far.

‘It’s too soon in the season to make these decisions and I don’t have enough time to make these deicisons because I just started three weeks ago,’ he explained.

‘We need more time so get to know the group better and everybody deserves more time to show their value to the group. What I can say is that I’m super happy that he’s here.’

While Tuchel’s most recent managerial role was a two-and-a-half year stint in France with Paris Saint-Germain, it was in his homeland that the 47-year-old first cut his teeth as a coach following a premature end to his playing career due to injury.

The former defender’s first steps in management came in the Bundesliga, first with Mainz and then as Jurgen Klopp’s replacement at Borussia Dortmund, although his life as a coach actually began at the age of 27 working with the youth team at Stuttgart, a role he was handed by Ralf Rangnick.

An influential figure in German football, Rangnick has also played a part in the early coaching careers of Julian Nagelsmann and Ralph Hassenhuttl, working closely with the current Southampton boss during their time together at RB Leipzig. Tuchel credits his countryman with helping to shape his career but suggests each of his proteges have had to carve their own paths along the way.

‘I was a player with Ralf Rangnick in the second and third divisions,’ recalled Tuchel. ‘He was the first guy to tell me that it’s not necessary to follow the striker even when he goes to the toilet!

‘In the back four, it was not about man-marking but defending the space in a 4-4-2 and a 4-5-1 so that was of course a game-changer for me. To watch football games after my experience with Ralf was different because I had a totally different view on what was going on. He made a third division team in Ulm be stronger than we actually were with these brand-new tactics.

‘There are many coaches influenced from this kind of philosophy but in the end I truly believe that everybody has to find his own style and to be authentic. You cannot copy anybody else. You need to be yourself.

‘Hassenhuttl also had his influence for sure at Leipzig, where Ralf was more or less the father of everything that happens. His journey has been impressive – he had a very good season at Ingolstadt, was very successful in Leipzig and now he has a big impact with his aggressive style of play at Southampton. This is the challenge that we have to face against them.’