Tuchel happy with Chelsea board dealings despite Abramovich silence
Thomas Tuchel does not believe it is strange that he did not receive a message of support from Roman Abramovich after leading Chelsea into the Champions League final this week.
Tuchel has not spoken to Abramovich since arriving at Stamford Bridge in January and was not waiting by the phone after the win over Real Madrid on Wednesday. Chelsea’s manager is confident that the club’s owner is happy with him and he offered an emphatic response when asked whether he finds the Russian’s silence odd.
“No, absolutely not,” Tuchel said. “I’m in touch with the board, I’m in touch with all people who are in charge and I have absolutely no regrets. I am pretty sure that he likes what he sees and he likes the results, and this is what he deserves. He has built a fantastic club and I’m a part of this club. We try to make him happy and we try to make ourselves happy, so we have the same goals. It’s fine.”
Chelsea have made rapid progress since appointing Tuchel. They are fourth in the Premier League, meet Leicester in the FA Cup final next Saturday and could become European champions for the first time since 2012 when they face Manchester City in Istanbul on 29 May.
It promises to be a tough end to the season and there is a danger that their finals could distract Chelsea as they look to seal Champion League qualification. Yet Tuchel took an opposite view. The German believes that Chelsea, who have a dress rehearsal for Istanbul when they visit City on Saturday evening, are building momentum at a crucial time.
“The downside is, we have more games to come in between,” he said.
“It’s in a way harder to keep the focus.
The upside of it is that you gain confidence and you have this extreme positive experience together, which gives you a certain glue. It strengthens the bond in the dressing room. There are ups and downs but the upside is clearly more. We feel strong enough to translate this power and confidence into our race for the top four.”