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Thomas Tuchel addressed the media ahead of Chelsea’s Premier League clash with Brentford on Saturday afternoon.
Chelsea will return to action after the international break and welcome the Bees to Stamford Bridge.
The European and World champions have won their previous six games, with their last defeat at Wembley on 27 February against Liverpool on penalties in the Carabao Cup final.
IMAGO / PA images
Here’s what the Chelsea boss had to say in full during his pre-match press conference:
On team news:
Team news, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ben Chilwell will miss tomorrow’s game. Callum still feels his Achilles tendon a bit and some lower back pain. Everyone else was training. It is always a challenge to come back after these breaks. Everyone was all over the world with different experiences, some very successful, some not. Some played a lot, some are jet lagged. It’s always a challenge to come back. It’s time to regroup and go again tomorrow.”
About Reece James:
“Ready to go, Reece is in the squad for tomorrow.”
About Cesar Azpilicueta contract extension:
“I knew it was going to happen because I knew how many games still had to happen. It was so close. That’s a good thing, we were aware of that. It’s good news for us. We have a contract, he is our captain, there is a good chance he will stay.”
About Antonio Rüdiger’s meeting with Barcelona:
“If it’s true, of course (it’s worrying). I would try to meet him if I were another club! He’s still our player, we still think there’s a good chance he’ll stay our player once everything is resolved. This situation is the situation at the moment, our hands are tied. We can’t talk, negotiate with him and his agent. Fair enough if it’s true he listens to other offers. That’s the way things go, but I’m still confident in it.”
About potential new owner:
“I’m not sure I could even tell you the names of the consortia and new bidders. It is my information that it has fallen to four and further discussions and negotiations should take place in the coming weeks. †
About new owners meeting Thomas Tuchel:
‘I’m not sure if they want to and I’m not sure if I should! I don’t know if it’s a good or a bad idea. Maybe it’s best to get involved as late as possible, when I’m involved.”
On missing out on Manager of the Month for Mikel Arteta:
“No it’s okay. We can leave it like this. We win all the matches and I don’t get the reward, I couldn’t be happier!”
About fans attending Champions League and FA Cup matches:
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“We had the situation earlier in the league. From a perspective, just from a team perspective and sporting perspective, it would be perfect to have all our spectators in the stadium to support us. We’re happy things are changing with spectators in the FA Cup and Champions League. Tomorrow everyone has to stand up. Everyone is in charge and bears the responsibility to create a good atmosphere. We need our spectators.”
About Jorginho vote after failed World Cup qualification in Italy:
“Good, I must say. To be honest, I haven’t talked to him much about that because what could I say to make his pain go away? Nothing. If I’m the two hundredth person to say to him ‘Come on, head up’. Our job is to create an atmosphere for the players who come, feel safe outside. Of course this happens in sport and it feels terrible for him personally and his teammates, but here is a safe place for hm. He was very strong in training, very good response. He came a day earlier than needed. He wanted. That’s why I felt like he loved being back and being in this environment, because it’s a positive environment.”
About difficulties in preparing for next season:
“It’s impossible. I don’t know, it’s hard to guess how much disadvantage (Chelsea would have against Man City and Liverpool). It’s not guessable, that’s why we don’t do it. next games. Maybe it’s also an advantage that we can’t get distracted. We’ll deal with the disadvantage later when it becomes clear.”
On Christian Pulisic and Thiago Silva ready to start:
“Thiago is a bit different from Christian, I must say. Thiago did not play the third match with Brazil, came back a day earlier and did not have the same jet lag as Christian. Thiago was here yesterday and trained today, feels very good so he will be available tomorrow. For Christian we have to decide, he didn’t train today. We decided to give him another recovery session today. He didn’t train with the team, he was here. He was very tired with massive jet lag because he played a day ago, a day and a half ago, about 85 minutes, so he played all three games for the US. We have to find out if that makes sense and if it makes sense, for how many minutes it makes sense tomorrow.”
On boost from Cesar Azpilicueta that remains possible:
“Well, I knew all along that this was very likely to happen because he’s a regular starter with us. I knew how many games we needed to get him to stay, to continue or extend his contract. That’s why I’m very happy, you know how much I trust him and how much impact he has in this group and this club. It’s very good news for us.”
On five replacement line:
“It’s a brilliant decision. We were the only league that didn’t do it in Europe, so it’s an excellent decision. I dare say it’s an excellent decision for everyone because I was coach for underdog teams long enough too and I would have liked five substitutes to let more players play, keep the intensity level or increase the intensity against stronger teams For us and the number of matches we play so far, the number of leagues we play, the number of players that plays internationally – they are going back with Nations League in the summer. It is imperative to protect the players, protect the quality and use the full potential of tactical influences in the game. Very good decision.”
On reports that Romelu Lukaku is unhappy and a possible Inter Milan return:
“We don’t dwell on it. The situation right now is we can’t talk to players, we can’t sell and we can’t buy. Right now we don’t have to think about it. These are the players we have. Romelu still plays a big role. Not the part he might want to play and I totally understand. He used his time to disconnect for a bit, a week of vacation and then he was back with us. I feel him very motivated, very strong in training, very involved in the games. He is a winner and he will remain a winner and remain important to us. He had a good game in Middlesbrough, a huge boost for all of us and for him personally and at the moment there is no room for bad mood and no room for disappointment. There just isn’t. I looked at the schedule last week and I knew this was the schedule, but once it’s in front of you, you see what’s coming. There are many matches in the decisive weeks of the season. Therefore, there is now no room for reservations, distractions or disappointment. We need everyone, every player and that includes Romelu.”
On Brentford Form:
“Maybe it’s also normal (wrestling) as a newcomer to the toughest competition in the world. They may not have expected to fly through the season the way they started. When we played them in the first game it was maybe one of the worst times playing them because they absolutely flew. They were full of positivity and faith, we played a very good game and struggled like crazy for the last 18 minutes and we had to defend and be very lucky to escape by three points. Then we had another game in Brentford in the Carabao Cup, we played really well and learned from our first game. That is the challenge for tomorrow. They played in a back-five, 5-3-2, for a long period of the season, but change to a 4-3-3 in the final games. Let’s see what they do tomorrow. They are still a very physical team, a very direct team. They are still a team that relies heavily on set pieces, so we know about it and need to be ready. We expect another heavy one.
About Christian Eriksen:
“I didn’t follow all the small steps, but I know the story. It’s great that he’s back in the Premier League and has the chance to enjoy football at this level, it’s perfect news and a great story.”
On Barcelona’s Joan Laporte saying they’ve signed a defender and whether it’s Andreas Christensen:
“We heard rumors from him, the same rumours. I don’t have any confirmation for you as I haven’t talked to Andreas about it at the moment, but we’ve heard the same rumours, so. Maybe they are…it is.’
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