Tuchel: No Champions League team wants to play against Chelsea

CHELSEA manager Thomas Tuchel made history on Wednesday night and declared that teams are afraid to face his side.

Their 2-0 win over Atletico Madrid was the 13th game under Tuchel and Chelsea have lost none of those fixtures, making it the longest ever unbeaten start by a manager for the Blues in the club’s history. 

The victory, with Hakim Ziyech and Emerson scoring the goals, earned Chelsea a berth in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals.

“The most important is that we feel we deserve this,” Tuchel told reporters. “The most important is that we give the feedback for the guys what they did in terms of quality and intensity. It’s most important you feel it and that no one has to convince you.

“They play with a special bond and results like this give you a certain edge and glue to achieve special things. You can only achieve this through results and experiences.”

The draw for the quarter-finals will be held on Friday and Tuchel believes other teams will be keen to avoid his hard-to-beat side. “I’m pretty sure no one wants to play against us,” he said.

“It’s a super difficult challenge ahead because we are already in the last eight. It’s a big step – but no need to be afraid.”

Tuchel has completely transformed Chelsea since taking over from Frank Lampard in January but he gives credit to his players for taking the club to the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time since 2014.

He added: “It was a really big win for us and a deserved win. The amount of effort and intensity from the team in both legs was outstanding and incredible. 

“We missed four key players but everybody else stepped up so I’m very happy.

“There were moments when we were excellent with the ball, we had brave and courageous defending, and adapted to any system the opponent played. It was a big win, a deserved win and I’m super happy for my players.”

Chelsea were fortunate not to see Cesar Azpilicueta give away a penalty in the first half for obstruction but Tuchel defended his player and insisted that the officials were right not to punish his team.