TUCHEL: WAR IN UKRAINE MEANS WE WILL BE HATED

Tuchel, who fears neutrals will now be rooting for Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final, said: “We are aware of it and it’s distracting us, it’s worrying us. To a certain degree I can understand the critical opinions of the club, of those who represent the club. “We should not pretend this is not an issue. The situation in general, for me and for my staff and for everybody here at the training ground, is horrible. “Nobody expected this. It’s clouding our minds, it’s clouding the final, and it brings huge uncertainty. But of course it’s worse for those more involved than us. And our best wishes are with them. “Maybe people understand that neither I nor the players know what is really going on. At the moment we don’t feel responsible for all this. War in Europe was unthinkable for a long period.” Abramovich, who built his fortune in oil following the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1990s, bought Chelsea in 2003. Tuchel (above) said it would be impossible for him, his staff and his players to shut out the situation in Ukraine given the Russian links to the club. He said: “It’s in Europe and we are part of Europe. We cannot say ‘let’s put this to one side.’ It’s the opposite. “We have to live with it. There is no running away from it. We are still privileged to live in peace and freedom where we are right now. And we are still privileged to have a game of football, to have an emotional but peaceful environment with fans in the stadium. “We are very, very, very privileged, so this is a hard-core reality check right now. How privileged we are. “And I don’t think this will go away. It will not go away for anybody. The issue is just too big.” The EFL and FA have confirmed the Wembley arch has been lit up in the colours of blue and yellow to show support for Ukraine ahead of Carabao Cup final weekend.