Tuchel: How I survived fall of an empire

GERMAN ‘PLAYED CARDS’ TO COPE WITH THE STRESS OF ABRAMOVICH SAGA

FOR the residents of a Middlesbrough hotel, it may well have been a surreal sight. A lobby full of people in blue tracksuits with nowhere to go, passing the time playing cards because one of the biggest clubs in the world could not afford to pay for their rooms for an extra day.

Such was life for Thomas Tuchel and his Chelsea staff following the pre-sale sanctions imposed by the UK Government in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Roman Abramovich’s ownership.

‘We didn’t know how we will arrive in a Champions League game, whether you have a plane or not,’ the German recalls of what he now describes as ‘crazy moments’.

‘Or after you play Newcastle, a long trip, and you don’t know if you need to travel by a bus or plane. We played one match, the FA Cup game at Middlesbrough, where we went up the day before but the rooms were only available until 12 o’clock the following day, with our whole staff just sitting in the lobby because only the players and myself had our rooms longer.

‘It was a very strange situation for a club used to a kind of level that’s outstanding normally.’

Tuchel attempted to turn the negative into a positive. ‘It was nice to see we can adapt,’ he says. ‘We are spoiled but not so spoiled that everyone gets in a bad mood. We’d play cards or watch a match live together.’

Things are different now. The club are currently on the first leg of their US tour that brings them here to Los Angeles, then on to Las Vegas for a fixture against Mexican side Club America.

Since the arrival of LA Dodgers co-owner Todd Boehly and his associates at the end of May, change has been in the air. Out have gone player trader Marina Granovskaia, Tuchel confidant Petr Cech and chairman Bruce Buck, along with a number of key players.

The result is that Chelsea are now playing catch-up and Tuchel, who sees himself as a pure coach, finds himself in not particularly comfortable territory — working with the new group on transfer business, with a sporting director still to arrive.

When asked for a word to describe the new era, tired-looking Tuchel is quick to respond. ‘Intense,’ he says. ‘It has changed a lot. I could never have imagined that I stayed longer at the club than Roman, Marina and Petr. It (transfers) is not my favourite thing to do and in the long run the focus has to be on coaching because it is why I am here. But, at the moment, my help is needed and it is necessary I step up and take the responsibility.

‘I’m in contact with Todd directly on a daily basis and sometimes more than once on a daily basis because we are aware we have a club in transition. My concern is for the team to be competitive. For this, we have to invest a lot of time and we need to be hands on.’

One major issue has already been addressed. In what looks like a coup, Raheem Sterling has arrived from Manchester City for £50million. The opposite of a coup, Romelu Lukaku, has been shipped out on loan for a year, 12 months after rejoining the club for £97.5m.

‘There was never a meeting where I said: “I want this guy out”,’ Tuchel says of Lukaku. ‘Never. I was always clear — if he stays we will do everything to put him in a better place, in better shape, to improve my style of coaching, our style of playing, to make him a better fit.

‘Romelu made it very clear he wanted to leave and the owners made the decision straight away.’

IS Tuchel disappointed in how it played out? ‘Disappointed is the wrong word,’ he says. ‘I don’t know a better word in English. It feels like I take it personally — it’s never personal. I am not happy that we couldn’t bring more out of him.

‘Maybe it would have taken a bit more time. Once Romelu gave his clear opinion on the situation and there was a solution on the table, the owners made their choice and had my blessing.’

When asked to name a replacement, Tuchel was quick to pinpoint the Manchester City man, who — with just a year left on his Etihad contract — was keen to secure regular first-team football.

‘I gave his name to Todd straight