Thomas Tuchel praised his players’ resilience to “overcome difficulties” after the win over Lille as Chelsea continued to weather through a tough period.
Chelsea refuse to go away from the main news coverage as the media’s focus remains on their ongoing situation. Ever since Roman Abramovich put the club up for sale and the subsequent sanctions laid down by the UK government, the Blues have been feeling the effects, although performances have not been affected as much yet.
There have been subsequent rumours suggesting Thomas Tuchel could leave in the summer and several players might evaluate their situations at Stamford Bridge. While all those stories emerge in the background, Chelsea continue to perform efficiently on the pitch, as they secured passage into the next round of the UEFA Champions League after a hard-fought victory at Lille on Wednesday.
This week, the Blues faced more backlash when they bizarrely requested their weekend FA Cup clash away to Middlesbrough be played behind closed doors. Chelsea have since retracted their request and face a ten-hour bus journey to the Riverside Stadium from London.
However, they will continue to perform professionally, according to Tuchel, who praised his players following the win over Lille. As quoted by Football 365, the Chelsea manager praised his players’ resilience for overcoming the ongoing difficult period at the club.
Thomas Tuchel: "Once you work for Chelsea, you work at the limit. Every day. We stick together and try to overcome the situation together. I am very proud, very happy", via @AdamNewson. ? #CFC
Credits to Tuchel: he's really doing amazing to protect the team and the club. ?? pic.twitter.com/wC9RLy3yUa
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) March 17, 2022
Tuchel said, “They showed resilience to overcome difficulties. Brilliant. It’s so nice so many fans are here to support the team, it feels brilliant. The quarter-final is a big step. We showed resilience and mentality to overcome difficulties. As a team, we did what was necessary. We dug in and got a deserved win.”
“It’s difficult here. Chelsea has this kind of culture within the club where we work every day. What I found from day one was a football first mentality. Everybody pushes the first-team every three days, everybody goes to the limit and is focused on football. We’ve been trying to implement an atmosphere.”
“This culture is already installed, and this helps us now to focus with difficult and distracting times because it’s always there. We encourage the players. It feels so good we can still produce results, and I’m proud.”
“We weren’t so good in the first half. The pitch was horrible, and it made things complicated. It was a new pitch not ready to play on. The tactics weren’t right in the first 20 minutes; I took responsibility. Then it was more fluid. It was very important to calm everyone down. We were lucky with the post.”
“We hope and expect to carry on because we want to compete. It took a lot of sacrifices, we fought hard to be in the last eight. We’re excited for the draw. We have a game in Middlesbrough three days later.”
Also Read: Chelsea and Abramovich in limbo: What do the UK government sanctions mean for the club?
Chelsea’s win over Lille was another example of the kind of effect Tuchel has had on the Chelsea players. After showcasing the fighting spirit that exemplify champion teams, very few would count Chelsea out of big games to come in the coming weeks.
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