Thomas Tuchel gives us a sneak peek into a conversation he had with Roman Abramovich shortly after the Club World Cup final victory.
Tuchel told the boss that the trophy was for him. He said,
"It's for you. It's your club, and it's your input and your passion that made this possible, and we're happy to be part of it."
I guess the best way to return the favour is to give his employee what he deserves, which is his backing.
Receiving Abramovich's backing is a rarity. It's like finding a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.
Of course, we know of the ruthless history that Abramovich has with Chelsea managers. Injuries usually isn't a good enough excuse. But there's just something about Tuchel that just feels right, and I think he knows it too.
It's been reported that Chelsea's board believe they would have been competing with Manchester City if not for Covid-19 cases and injuries. I believe so too. It's just common sense, isn't it?
Not many managers would have been given such grace when you consider that Tuchel wasn't the first choice for Abramovich. Manchester United current manager Ralf Rangnick was the preferred option just over 12 months ago. Looking at Rangnick's United situation, I'd probably be predicted an imminent sacking if that were the case at Chelsea.
It's nice to hear that the big boss at the top is empathising with the situation at Chelsea. Tuchel has still sent us to yet another final and won another important trophy despite all the setbacks. No wonder he is being supported at the top.
My question now is, had Abramovich been too harsh with previous managers who had failed to deliver without their first-choice transfer window? Managers such as Antonio Conte, Carlo Ancelotti and Jose Mourinho come into mind. Was the expectation for them too high? Or is Tuchel just a miracle worker?
As formidable as Pep Guardiola's team is, they trailed behind Chelsea before the injury crisis began. The Blues could easily have been competing with City if luck played into their favour the same way it had for Man City.
Guardiola is fortunate with the lack of injuries he has had to cover for. When a supposed first-team player becomes unfit, a viable replacement is waiting for a straight swap. For example, in the eventuality of Aymeric Laporte becoming injured, City has reliable options in Ruben Dias, John Stones, and Nathan Ake.
That's not been the case for Chelsea. Once N'Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic were hit with the injury/covid-19 double blow, the Blues had to use Saul Niguez, who is not well accommodated with the Premier League or Tuchel's system. The constant need to change personnel and improvise was not an ideal situation, and it seemed as though there was severe pressure on the German.
If Chelsea had taken their time and stuck with Mourinho, Ancelotti or Conte for the long run, it could have been a repeated cycle of managers complaining about their personnel and not utilising what they had in front of them.
In a fascinating world of ifs, buts, and maybes, who knows what could have been with Chelsea's former managers. In today's reality, Tuchel is halfway to winning it all with Chelsea. He has won what no other manager has won for the Blues, and he's done it in just over a year with one permanent signing with no complaints.
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