The current manager of Chelsea football club, Thomas Tuchel said when he was appointed the manager of the club, he questioned the sacking of his predecessor, Frank Lampard.
Thomas Tuchel replaced Lampard in the second half of the 2020-2021 Premier League season due to a poor run of games. At the point the German tactician took over from the English tactician, Chelsea were sitting on the 9th spot on the league table.
Tuchel became an instant success at the Premier League club as he was able to push the club to a 4th placed finish on the league table. He was also able to push Chelsea to the final of the UEFA Champions League.
To the dismay of many, Thomas Tuchel proved to the world that he was the right man for the job by leading Chelsea to beat Manchester City 1-0 in the final of the tournament.
Despite winning the Champions League title, Thomas Tuchel has never stopped reminding the football world that he builds on the foundation Frank Lampard laid before he was sacked.
Recall that Lampard who is Chelsea’s all-time highest goalscorer during his playing days at the club became the coach of the club in 2019. With no access to the transfer window and the exit of Eden Hazard to Real Madrid, he was able to keep Chelsea in the top four at the end of the 2019-2020 season.
The retired England international started the 2020-2021 season like a house on fire and they were looking like Premier League title contenders until the second half of the season when they started dropping points consistently.
In an interview with Sky Sports ahead of the Arsenal vs Chelsea clash, Thomas Tuchel said Lampard deserved more time at the club due to his achievement as a coach and player.
Tuchel said: “I said to the board, ‘are you sure of doing this? Because they will not like you. Maybe he deserves more time.’ Because when I think of Chelsea I think about Frank Lampard, John Terry, Petr Cech, Didier Drogba.
“I think about him in the very first moment because he embodies everything that Chelsea is: hard work, aggressive player, a big leader but at the same time a normal guy on the pitch and such a team player. A true, true legend.
“But I clearly understood the choice was more or less made and it was taking it or leave it. Then I hoped for a fair chance with the players because when you step in, there is not everybody happy from 20, 22 players.
“You cannot expect everybody to be happy with the manager gone, especially because he had a good [Champions League] group stage, good results, good performances and sometimes he was also simply unlucky, with what the data showed to us.
“But I said very early, ‘listen, guys, I did not push him out. I am just here now to continue in my way and let’s try to be open and give us a chance together.’
“I’m in a top club with fantastic support, super organized, and strong group on the field. It’s a pleasure to work every day and it’s like this since day one.”
Thomas Tuchel is expected to keep delivering at Chelsea
With the arrival of Romelu Lukaku to the club for the club’s transfer record fee worth £97.5 million and the fact that Chelsea won last season’s UEFA Champions League title, expectations are very high this season.
Thomas is expected to maintain the momentum he started with at Chelsea and probably win another major title before the end of the season.
In his first league game this season, Chelsea beat Crystal Palace 3-0. His players are expected to also beat a struggling Arsenal’s side at the Emirates Stadium later today, August 22, 2021. The London derby will kick off at 16:30.
Tuchel said: “We raised the bar. It creates expectations, it creates demands, but I hope we don’t get affected by it too much from the outside.
“I know what I demand from myself, which is always the highest level. I know what the team can produce – they are ambitious, really competitive.
“I think we need to be honest, to accept that we were fourth last season, so we have to close the gap to Liverpool, Manchester United, and Manchester City. You will find nobody who says, ‘nothing else but the title is a success’ because you have to put it into perspective.
“So to say now, ‘what is the big success in May?’ This is simply not possible and if we try, it will be a pure distraction. But we demand the very best still and we want to play hungry, with the same ambition – nothing has changed.
“After a big success, you have to start from scratch. This is what top-level sports are all about and this is what we love it for.”
It's all love. 🤣 pic.twitter.com/CSTtWA3P98
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 21, 2021
