‘There is no hiding from the fact it is a distraction,’ says Thomas Tuchel on ownership situation

Thomas Tuchel has admitted that the scenario surrounding the ongoing sale of Chelsea has been a “distraction”. He reckoned that this situation has been one of the factors behind the team’s poor results in recent weeks. It has been two months since former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by the UK Government, leaving the football club in a spot of bother. There was a lot of uncertainty as to in what direction the club will move forward in the future. However, there is a positive development in this matter after it was revealed that a group led by Todd Boehly is now in place to acquire the club. 

Thomas Tuchel: We did excellently until the national break

Ahead of a trip to Leeds United in the Premier League on Wednesday night, Thomas Tuchel, in his press conference, said, “We are the only club at the moment who suffers like this, and maybe the first club ever to do so. It is a unique and challenging situation, and of course everybody hopes it will be clarified. We have been waiting for it and we need that positive energy and competitive atmosphere. There is no hiding from the fact it is a distraction, and it is a question of which level can we still live up to, even if we are distracted or worried. We did excellently until the national break. It had no effect in terms of results, almost the opposite. We felt very strong during the announcement of the sanctions.”

READ MORE – Fans react to Manchester City agreeing to sign Erling Haaland

“Then something very human and normal took place. When the players were not here [during the international break] there were different influences to them, maybe more thoughts about the situation in general, and now the situation is very long. The players want to feel competitive. They want to know what is going on next season. A player like Toni decided to then change the club. With every day it gets more difficult. It’s not impossible, but it’s more difficult. It has an influence, and still we are looking to reach the level where we are competitive and still win games. It’s no excuse but it is a reason,” he was quoted as saying by the club’s website.

We look a bit tired mentally, says Tuchel 

Tuchel believes that there are other factors beyond the ownership situation behind their recent run of poor form. Chelsea blew away a two-goal lead against Wolves at the weekend to settle for a draw. Prior to that, they lost at struggling Everton and drew against Manchester United. “We look a bit tired mentally when you look at our games from the sideline,” Tuchel said. “It’s understandable given the circumstances around the club, and the big knockout games we had to play after the international break. From losing to Real Madrid, to winning against Real Madrid, to still being out of the Champions League, then another game at Wembley,

“It’s been quite challenging. We have a lot of matches in our legs and our bones, and we feel it. It’s another reason, everybody knows it, and we need to reach a certain level that is possible. We can do better than we have been doing in the last two matches, but the positive thing is I feel the will, the motivation. The motivation was very high to turn things around against Wolverhampton. You could see our physical input. It was almost too high, where we even attacked with defenders and left space for counter-attacks, but there was not a lack of motivation. It was the opposite, so there are also good signs. We still trust the team, trust our players and trust what brought us here. Now is the moment to stay calm.”