Thomas Tuchel depending on Dujon Sterling to deal with Rudiger's exit.
Thomas Tuchel has conveyed to Chelsea that he wants them to intimidate their opponents as they aim to win the Champions League in succession. His side recently overcame Lille in the round of 16, having beaten them 4-1 in aggregate across both legs.
The second leg was far from an easy fixture as the French club had caused troubles for the Blues in the early parts of the game. That being said, they turned the tide with the help of Christian Pulisic’s goal just before half-time. The English club seems on the way to return to their best, but there are still some improvements to be made before they can become a real favourite for the title.
Speaking in the post-match presser (h/t Football.London), Tuchel has mentioned that he wants the West London side to be feared by their opponents moving forward. The boss is eager for his side to be that team that no one wants to play against in the crucial stages of the prestigious European competition.
“I want us to be the team nobody wants to play. This is the role we see ourselves in this round of eight. It’s a big step to do it again, again, and again. We fight for the top four places in the toughest league maybe in the world right now and we fight in the last eight again [in the Champions League]. So this brings out the best in us and we want to be the team nobody wants to play against.”
It is understandable why the German boss wants his side to be feared by their challengers in the next rounds. After all, the psychological side of the game would gain more importance in such knockout stages from here on out. Top teams deal with such pressure with ease which is a crucial factor that could give them an edge over their competition.
As such, the Blues boss’ words make sense as they could get that added advantage by putting fear into their competitors. We still are not there just yet, but there have been signs that we are returning to our best looking at the past few games that we have played.
The club is on a five-match winning run, and we are hopeful that this form and momentum can be improved by building on this moving forward. Our defence and midfield have been solid throughout this season, and crucial players like Reece James would be returning to the fray soon enough, giving us a major boost in our prospect to win the CL.
That’s not all, as our attackers have been at their best recently as well, which was not the case even when we were at our best at the start of this campaign. Let’s hope that the entire team keeps improving in this trajectory and become the team that Tuchel wants us to be in the future.
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