Tuchel Admits Brave Decision To Take Chelsea Job; Plays Down Favorites Tag In UCL Clash With Malmo

By Izuchukwu Okosi

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has sensationally declared as “brave” his decision to accept Chelsea’s offer to be their head coach following his departure from billionaires Paris Saint Germain (PSG).

Sacked was sacked by Paris Saint-Germain on Christmas Eve in 2020 but has gone on to win the Champions League with Chelsea five months later and is now top of the Premier League after last weekend’s 3-0 defeat of Newcastle United.

‘‘Now Chelsea seems to be the perfect fit for me from day one,’’ said Tuchel, who described Nuno Espirito Santo’s dismissal as Tottenham boss as ‘‘not good news and never nice to hear.’’

‘’I am super happy to be at this club, be part of the club and maybe this is the last per cent,’’ the onetime Borussia Dortmund head coach added.

‘’If you feel happy and appreciated, everything falls into place very genuinely and you are able to produce results together.

‘‘I don’t know if I needed extra motivation but I wasn’t happy to be sacked at Christmas because my mission was not fulfilled. I had big plans for the Champions League campaign and to win the league again at PSG. I was hungry and on the way. It was a huge interruption.

‘’But then some weeks later came a huge opportunity and the desire to step into this adventure was bigger than the fear and concern about the 18-month contract.

‘’You need to take the adventure, be brave, courageous and I have the feeling I got a big reward,” Tuchel enthused.

Tonight (Tuesday) the Blues visit Swedish minnows Malmo in the Champions League and Tuchel offers his thoughts on the game as he addressed the media.

‘‘It’s the fifth or sixth game in a row where we are considered favourites. I like a lot how my team approaches these matches because we put in effort and intensity.

‘’ We do not focus too much on the general view that we are the favorites,” Tuchel added.