The next game is the most important
Chelsea are at Burnley tomorrow but Thomas Tuchel had to spend much of the pre-match press conference fending off questions about the ownership of the club.
Eventually, he was asked if it was nice to get back to playing in the Premier League. “Yes, and actually it took me some minutes to find the answers to the last two or three Premier League matches,” he said. “It’s a very weird situation. We played two or three matched in the last six or seven weeks in the Premier League. Normally you have a feeling for the competition and have a feeling for where we are,” he added, with Chelsea having played so many games recently in other competitions.
Looking forward to tomorrow, Tuchel said: “Tough game coming at Burnley. We think we know very well what is coming. There will be no presents for us there. We want to dig on and accept the fight.
“Very different, fair enough. Every team has its style. They have had huge success through the years, very consistent in what they are doing and how they approach games. It is very physical and very direct up front. A lot of crosses, very dangerous in set pieces. That’s why we think we know what is coming.
“Still, we hold ourselves back and don’t allow too much to predict. Who knows exactly what is coming? In the end, it is to enable the players to find answers on the pitch and not today in a meeting. To prepare, yes, but in the end, they need to find the solutions and be well prepared in a v very wide range of opportunities.”
We got a draw at Stamford Bridge, but Tuchel said: “I think we played a very good match and we had a look into it, how we did it, how we created chances. We created a lot but struggled to score the second and third goal to decide the match. We were punished in the end with a very typical Burnley goal which we could not defend. That’s more or less the story. Performance wise, very happy. Results wise, we are looking for a better outcome tomorrow.”
“They are a very strong outfit, so we must be realistic, but equally we have found ways of operating against them. We were strong against Manchester United in the second half, strong against Liverpool, where we should have got something more out of it, and Tottenham, so we have the spirit and mentality. The fans can understand that, especially when a bigger team comes to Turf Moor. These are the games for the players, where you’ve got to play well.
“We ask a lot of these players. The next game is the most important and we know what the players need and their schedule. There’s a lot to it, in terms of demands, whether players are playing or not, but we must make them sharp and ready for the next game and that’s the challenge.
“There is a big risk and reward for us with the game schedule, Covid situations, games called off and rescheduled, so there’s a lot more to it. We have to make sure that we are as ready as we possibly can be.”
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