After a disappointing last minute draw with Tottenham last weekend, Chelsea have quickly picked themselves up in preparation for the match with Leeds.
In the pre-match conference, this is what Thomas Tuchel said to the press:
on squad: “We have what we have and we know what we are looking for. We are still active in the market and know what can be possible. We are looking for high quality and personality that suits our group and squad. The focus is on what we have, not what we could have.”
on Conte handshake: “Of course we laugh, it’s very important to laugh. I was laughing in the dressing room, it was the heat of the match. It was passion between two men. I hope they don’t make more out of it. It’s not that big of a deal for me. He was fighting for his team, I was fighting for mine.”
on Dean admitting VAR mistake: “If the mistake is that big and obvious, what’s the point of not admitting? I struggle to be fully impressed by the statement to be honest. It’s so clear and obvious, I struggle to see how a referee couldn’t make the right decision.”
on need for a new forward: “I believe we can compete with this group, but it’s one thing to compete once a week and another thing to compete 60 times a year, three times a week. You need a strong group.”
on Anthony Taylor: “In the decision, maybe not the Anthony Taylor is to blame in this decision. He was not called to the monitor. By all the passion, emotion and consequences it had for us, we have to admit it was not the referee, it was the VAR who got it totally wrong.”
on Armando Broja: “It’s one thing to perform on a loan and another thing to perform at Chelsea. While he is making the next step, he was injured in pre-season and now. It does not help us give a clear view on what he can do but the size of the squad gives him a huge chance.”
on preparations: “We are trying new exercises, we are preparing matches over 3/4 days which is very unusual for us. The players are very responsive. I’m very grateful, it’s pure joy. It’s nice to have an extended preparation. We are trying to make the most out of it.”
on Chilwell/Cucurella: “If we play a back four, they are competing for one spot. If we play a back five, not 100 per cent because Cucurella can also play LCB.”
Thomas Tuchel on injuries:
on Kante’s injury: “Quite serious. We’re talking about weeks. Not good news. We’re disappointed and sad because N’Golo was super-important and super-fit.”
“Armando Broja is out for days, and Mateo Kovacic is out as well with knee problems. Christian Pulisic has Achilles problems and trained today. Let’s see.”