FOR a man who wears a baseball cap indoors, Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel is remarkably slick.
Which is quite handy as the Blues are dragged more and more into the fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Thomas Tuchel has handled recent criticism of Chelsea and Roman Abramovich extremely well
And it’s also surprising — given the passionate German’s reputation as a man who could start a fight with Mother Teresa.
Chelsea have always been a tough club for the public to love under the ownership of Roman Abramovich, whether for his money or the friends he keeps.
That already difficult task of maintaining positive PR took a hefty whack at the weekend, when the elusive billionaire left the keys to Stamford Bridge in the hands of a bewildered group of trustees — more used to organising charity raffles and running the women’s team.
Tuchel has been caught in the crossfire and anyone with experience covering modern- day football expected the shutters to come down and lips to be zipped. Yet former barman Tuchel is not afraid to tell his bosses where to go if their ideas do not match his. He is no company poodle.
All of which makes Tuchel’s mature response to awkward questions about Chelsea’s supreme leader unexpected and refreshing.
With MPs calling for Abramovich to be banned from owning a football club and the spotlight turning uncomfortably in his direction, Tuchel proved to be honest and open.
Rather than hide away from real issues, which is what football does more often than not, he confronted it head on.
Tuchel admitted there was bound to be some antipathy towards an expensive team that a lot of people already begrudged.
He revealed the conflict was significantly clouding his mind and that nobody in his team could really focus on Sunday’s Carabao Cup final.
Chelsea lost to Liverpool but there was no direct negativity aimed at Tuchel’s team.
Whether that was a result of what he said can never be fully known — but it sure didn’t hurt. Tuchel arrived at Chelsea last year, having been axed by Paris Saint-Germain in part for his run-ins with sporting director Leonardo.
There are still some burning embers from his time as a fledgling, firebrand coach at German side Mainz.
The moment he took over from Frank Lampard, the bets were running on how long it would be until his first clash with the people up top at Stamford Bridge.
But we could not have been more wrong about Tuchel.
He has emerged from the grubbiest story yet to engulf the Blues now looking like a trueborn diplomat.
And, at least for that, how Abramovich should be grateful.
PENS AD DO IT
LET’S hope the 11-10 sudden-death shootout between Liverpool and Chelsea for the Carabao Cup is a final nail in the coffin of all the nerds who repeatedly claim nobody wants penalties.
More than 85,000 people and millions watching on TV were gripped by it on Sunday.
Jurgen Klopp’s assertion that the whole contest was like “two lions going for each other” was as accurate as the spot-kicks themselves . . . well, most of them.
I once sat mesmerised in the old Upton Park press box when West Ham eventually saw off Everton in an FA Cup penalty decider.
After extra-time in a replay, Hammers’ Spanish keeper Adrian — now with newest Carabao Cup winners Liverpool — threw his gloves to the floor like a steely matador facing a seething bull, rammed home his penalty which won the tie 9-8 and sent the crowd into raptures.
It was only the third round and the reward was a trip to Bristol City in the fourth.
But for drama and tension it was as good as anything in open play.
