Chelsea manager says he will drive to the match against Lille for Champions League fixture if required

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has stated that he is determined to reach Lille for his team’s midweek European fixture.

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has been sanctioned by the UK government recently and the sanctions are about to dent some of the long-term goals set by the club.

However, the most important blow was that the Blues are now banned from offering new contracts to players or staff, conducting any official transfer business, selling new tickets to any games for any of their teams, including the women’s team and the junior teams, selling merchandise to fans, no stadium redevelopment, spending over 500,000 pounds on security and stewarding per home match and over 20,000 pounds as expenses in away games.

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With the limit to the expenditure for away games, Chelsea boss was asked if the travel for Lille changed, to which he replied-

“My last information is we are getting a plane. So we can go by plane and come back by plane. If not, we’ll go by train. If not, we’ll go by bus. If not, I’ll drive a seven-seater. Honestly, I will do it. You can mark my words, I will do to arrive there.

“If you asked me 20 years ago, 30 years ago, if I would join a Champions League match at the sideline and what I was willing to do, I’d say, ‘ok, where do I have to be and when?’ Why should this change?

“I will be there and we will be there. Of course, organisation wise, there are some negotiations going on and talks, but it doesn’t influence me. That’s what I mean, we have brilliant guys who organise the travel and we have, in every department, such committed people that at the moment things feel pretty normal.”

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Change in Chelsea’s preparations

Thomas Tuchel was asked if there has been any change in Chelsea‘s preparation for games ever since last week, to which he denied.

He said, “I think practically changed more for the guys who for example organised the journey to Lille because they had to figure out how we arrive there.

“In the end, I get the information so for me personally when I come to the building, actually nothing has changed so far. We do our meetings, we prepare training, we talk to doctors, fitness department, talk to the players and do the best training possible.

“And we demand it, from everybody, because this is what makes Chelsea special, and Chelsea a top club. It’s a commitment, quality of support and a commitment from everybody in the whole building.

In the end, that’s the foundation, or maybe the top of a strong, strong club. This is what we try to maintain. So it has not changed so much. At the moment it’s the same.”

Chelsea are currently leading the round of 16 ties by 2-0 in aggregate and are likely to make it to the next stages of the UEFA Champions League.

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