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Football London
Football London
Sport
Daniel Childs

Alan Shearer's brutal Chelsea verdict proves why Thomas Tuchel will reject Manchester United

A lot of fun was had by Chelsea supporters when Middlesbrough knocked both Manchester United and Spurs out of the FA Cup the previous two rounds. The Premier League rivals fell to lower league opposition as their seasons faltered, whilst the Blues progressed.

Chelsea had no such issues at The Riverside Stadium on Saturday evening, comfortably beating Chris Wilder's in-form side 2-0 to reach the last four.

In the BBC Studio analysing the game alongside Gary Linekar and Jonathan Woodgate was Alan Shearer, who, along with singing the praises of Tuchel, Mason Mount and Thiago Silva, pretty much summarised the difference between Chelsea and Man United.

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"Where we saw Middlesbrough causing Tottenham problems when they pressed them, Chelsea are not bothered about that.

"Chelsea just said fine, press us as much as you like. We've got all the confidence in the world, all the ability in the world, and that's how they've got both of their goals because of that."

Shearer went on to say when breaking down the tactics further, "That tactic worked against Spurs and Man United, but they're up against better players today". Ouch.

Probably more so to those of a Man United persuasion, who have gained hope from Chelsea's off-pitch chaos over the past week they could lure Thomas Tuchel away from Stamford Bridge to Old Trafford.

But this game in particular probably demonstrated again how far away United are from Chelsea and how strong a position Tuchel is in at the club with new ownership around the corner.

Not only did Saturday's confident performance make Spurs and United look worse, but it also demonstrated the high levels of focus within Tuchel's squad as we reach the business end of the season.

Results would suggest the group have hardly been affected by the crisis, winning their last six games in all competitions. If you stretch that back further, 12 wins in the last 13. The Carabao Cup final shoot-out defeat is the only exception.

Within that run, Chelsea have progressed to the last eight of the Champions League and the last four of the FA Cup on Saturday. The same position they found themselves in under Tuchel this time last season.

When asked about Man United's rumoured interest, Tuchel responded strongly on Friday.

"Do you feel me less committed or involved with this club? Absolutely not. I love to work for Chelsea, and this club has everything it needs to make me happy."

That love was demonstrated following the win in Lille in midweek via a video posted by a fan up in the gods at the Stade Pierre Mauroy. As Chelsea fans were held back and Tuchel headed to the dressing room after media interviews, the travelling support chanted his name.

Tuchel turned and saluted them before passionately pumping his fists, thumping the Chelsea badge on his coat and showing his appreciation.

Chelsea fans love Tuchel, and Tuchel loves his situation at Chelsea. Man United's chaos and uncertainty feel like a bigger job than the one Tuchel entered at Stamford Bridge in 2021.

Even with a looming cloud of uncertainty, Tuchel has something at Chelsea no United manager has enjoyed over the past nine years. It is hard to see him ditching that quickly.

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