With Chelsea preparing for their 14th visit to the new Wembley, a number higher than any other club, Thomas Tuchel faced the media on Friday afternoon speaking all things regarding the League Cup Final against his fellow compatriot in Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool.
Here’s what Tuchel had to say…
Team news
Regarding the highly anticipated team news, the Blues’ boss confirmed all his players are fit and firing for Sunday’s contest, barring Ben Chilwell.
Mateo Kovacic and Hakim Ziyech, who were substituted against Lille on Tuesday night with injury scares have no issues.
Tuchel confirmed: “We have at the moment, no reactions, but positive reactions. I hope it stays like this. We have another training tomorrow and we have everybody available for Sunday.”
Regarding the fitness of Reece James, the Chelsea boss was keen on keeping his cards close to his chest.
“He looked brilliant in the last two sessions. Let’s wait another session and let’s see if I am crazy enough to just put him on the pitch. Yesterday and today, he looked so strong and confident.”
The 22-year-old has been missing for the World champions since suffering a hamstring injury on December 29 against Brighton at Stamford Bridge.
Romelu Lukaku
With the Belgian’s recent antics of speaking out about his love regarding former club Inter Milan, there’s been very few press conferences as of late where Thomas Tuchel hasn’t been asked about Romelu Lukaku.
When asked concerning the strikers’ mood, Tuchel replied: “I would say good, like everybody else. He is an important player. If you pay a lot of money these days for one single player, there is a lot of focus on the player.”
The striker was left out of the starting line-up in midweek in Chelsea’s first-leg Round of 16 tie vs Lille, with Kai Havertz starting in the central striker position. Havertz repaid his faith to Tuchel by opening the scoring inside eight minutes.
On ongoing transfer speculation about Lukaku, Tuchel said: “What other choice is there? There is no transfer period right now. Everybody is hugely involved in the cause we want to achieve right now.”
In the previous game Lukaku started, the Belgian recorded a Premier League low in terms of touches, having just seven in total although the striker completed 90 minutes at Selhurst Park.
Champions League Final
Due to the ongoing political issues concerning Russia and Ukraine, UEFA announced on Friday that this seasons Champions League Final will not be hosted in St Petersburg, but instead Paris, with Stade de France the chosen venue.
Regarding the situation, Tuchel said: “Sadly, it is the worst reason to change location. We feel horrible about it. We can absolutely understand the decision.”
The previous two venues for the Champions League finals have both been changed late on, with Tuchel guiding his PSG and Chelsea side to the finals in Lisbon and Porto. Will the 48-year-old make his third straight successive Champions League final appearance come May?
Goalkeeping situation
As often the case for most clubs, rotation is a common theme in the League Cup, with goalkeepers also involved in the changes made.
On Chelsea’s route to the final, Kepa Arrizabalaga has started every single game, with a huge decision to be made by Thomas Tuchel for Sunday’s fixture.
“We will take the decision late”, announced the German.
“It is the very last decision we will take after training. Kepa did fantastic in the period where we had to be without Edou [Mendy]. It is an uncomfortable and very comfortable situation to be in.
“He [Kepa] absolutely deserves to play, but I cannot get sentimental about it.”
Tuchel’s counterpart Jurgen Klopp is also in a very similar position, however, the Liverpool boss confirmed backup goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher will replace first-choice Alisson Becker between the sticks at Wembley.
Jurgen Klopp
With Thomas Tuchel having endured such similar experiences to the Liverpool boss with roles at Mainz and Borussia Dortmund, Sunday’s matchup will be the 18th time the pair face each other.
Tuchel has only got the better of Klopp three times in 17 head-to-heads’, with Klopp reigning supreme nine times and five draws between the two managers.
Tuchel spoke highly of Klopp in Friday’s press conference.
“It is a pleasure to meet him. It is a pleasure to be in a final at Wembley again, and I am very grateful for it.”
When asked whether the Chelsea boss enjoys coming up against Klopp, Tuchel joked: “Enjoying playing against teams that are coached by Jurgen are not only pleasure, because they give you a hard time.
“We have experienced, tight matches against Liverpool. We will find a winner somehow and we know what it takes to have a tough match against them. We feel confident we have everything it takes. It is nice to have a match like this in the final.”
Tuchel however, believes the Reds’ are the favourites coming into it due to recent form and results.