Chelsea assistant coach Zsolt Low reveals Thomas Tuchel request at half-time vs Al-Hilal
Speaking after the Blues’ 1-0 win over Al-Hilal in the FIFA Club World Cup semifinal (h/t Metro), Chelsea assistant coach Zsolt Low said that Covid-positive head coach Thomas Tuchel was in constant touch with the team over the phone during the game and doled out instructions at half-time.
Romelu Lukaku scored the only goal of the game as Chelsea progressed to the final of the Club World Cup, where they will meet South American champions Palmeiras. The west London side are aiming to win the trophy for the first time in the club’s history.
Chelsea appeared to be rushing matters in the first half, unable to put together any attacking plays to seriously threaten the Al-Hilal goal. Even Lukaku’s goal came about thanks to a mistake from the opposition defence, as Low revealed that he asked his players to calm down while in possession of the ball.
“We talked about it at half-time and tried to prepare for the guys to calm down and play with a better rhythm, and not fight so hard for difficult solutions.”
Low was the main man on the touchline for the Club World Cup semi-final tie, as Tuchel was unable to travel to Abu Dhabi with the team for the tournament after the Chelsea manager tested positive for Covid last week.
Half-time pep talk
Tuchel also missed Chelsea’s previous game last weekend, when the Blues faced League One side Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup. In the German’s absence, first-team coach Arno Michels took charge of the tie, overseeing a 2-1 win to help the team progress into the fifth round of the domestic cup competition.
Despite not being with the team physically, Low revealed that Tuchel was still able to give his instructions at half-time over the phone, agreeing with Low’s thoughts and requesting his players to slow down the frantic pace of the game in the first half.
“We talked to Thomas at half-time. We had a good conversation and he had the same feeling as us that we were a bit nervous and had a lot of easy ball losses. We had a good conversation with Thomas and it helped the team.”
Chelsea now head to the final of the Club World Cup with a determination to win it. This after the club narrowly missed out on the trophy back in 2013 after losing to Corinthians by a single goal. This time around, another Brazilian team in the form of Palmeiras will be looking to repeat the trick.
Blues fans will be hoping for their team to get their hands on some silverware so early in the season especially after months of dealing with injury and Covid issues. Tuchel’s bout with Covid is the latest in a long line of cases that have plagued the club this campaign.
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There is an outside chance of the German boss making it to the final of the competition if he tests negative in the next few days, but Low could not confirm Tuchel’s availability for the same. In all likelihood, Low is set to take charge of the team once again on Saturday for the summit clash.
Whether Tuchel makes it or not, the team will be aware that he has his eyes glued on his screen to watch his players perform. Like in the semi-final, the manager is sure to be available for the team over the phone to dole out important instructions if and when needed.
