Thomas Tuchel took a hard line to one question during the pre-match press conference ahead of the second-leg tie against Atletico Madrid, with the Chelsea boss refusing to comment on these matters.
Ian Abrahams of talkSPORT, aka Moose, stated that Chelsea have a ‘big advantage’ with the encounter being played at Stamford Bridge, whilst Liverpool and Man City had their home ties on neutral ground.
Moose also asked Tuchel, who replaced Frank Lampard as the Blues’ manager less than a full month after being sacked by Paris Saint-Germain, whether the Blues consider themselves as ‘favourites’.
The latter statement was in relation to the Chelsea’s hopes of lifting the Champions League being more favourable now that powerhouses Barcelona and Juventus have been knocked out.
Tuchel added that answering such a question would change ‘nothing’ in regards to tomorrow night’s battle against Diego Simeone’s men, adding ‘there’s no way I will answer it.’
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Thomas Tuchel burst out with ‘there’s no way I will answer that’ on this question regarding Chelsea and the Champions League ahead of the second-leg against Atletico… pic.twitter.com/OoeYIm8fW8
— CaughtOffside (@caughtoffside) March 16, 2021
“Even if I would answer that question ‘yes’, what would it change for tomorrow? Nothing. For me it’s not a question, it’s absolutely okay for you to ask the question, but there’s no way I will answer it.”
“I can only think until tomorrow evening, to play this game.”
The west London outfit hold a 1-0 lead and looked quite in control of the proceedings during the first-leg, so they’ll certainly feel confident of progressing into the next knockout round of the tournament.
It’s clear that Tuchel, who is yet to lose a single match since becoming boss six weeks ago, is not prepared to overlook Atleti, taking Europe’s elite club competition on a game-by-game basis.
Tuchel has shown respect to Simeone and the La Liga leaders with his statement, as well as being wise enough not to fall into traps that could come back to bite him in the near future.
Chelsea is the favourite to qualify for the quarter finally. Only if they don’t give room for complacency.