Why was this too good an opportunity to turn down and what will your philosophy be here?
"You have to look at the football club here. The tradition, the quality, the size of the club, the ambition of the club to compete in the Champions League and compete at the top of the Premier League. It's a completely different challenge from the one I've had.
"I had three fantastic years at Brighton, an amazing football club, but I am thankful to the ownership here for putting their trust and belief in me to work with an exciting group of players to be competitive and put a team on the pitch that our supporters are really proud of. I'm very excited, as you can imagine, and looking forward to getting going."
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What are your experiences of Champions League football ahead of your first game in the competition?
"My experiences have been as a supporter in terms of the Champions League. I have my Europa League experience with Östersunds. Going to Galatasaray was a fantastic occasion, and winning there. PAOK as well, getting through there.
"Going through the Europa League group was a fantastic experience of European football. But it will be an amazing evening for all of us.
"We're all very excited for it, but at the same time, we have been trying to prepare a team, focus on the game, get to know all the players, and get to know everyone at the training ground. But there's no denying we are really looking forward to it."
Have you been to a Champions League game?
"Off the top of my head, I don't think I have, no. So it's a good time and be in the dugout. Why not?"
It will be some introduction…
"Wherever we start, it would be a heck of an introduction. With respect to everything that has happened at this club, with the demands of this club, with where we are in terms of how we're competing and how we want to achieve, wherever we start is going to be brilliant, and why not start here?"
How have you found the past nine days been for you, and how do you want the players and fans to know you?
"You said it's nine days, but it feels like nine weeks or nine months! But it's been brilliant. The beauty of football and life is that you never know what is around the corner, and things can happen very quickly.
"I had some really intense conversations with the owners, and quickly I realised that they were good people, intelligent people who had made huge success of their life outside of football and that they want to achieve something here. It's a really exciting project and ideas as to how to take the club forward. It felt really positive.
"I can't lie, it's been a whirlwind in terms of getting to know people, leaving Brighton, learning about the players, and getting to know them. But so far, it's been really, really positive. My first impressions have been really good, and I'm looking forward to starting, as you can imagine."
Are there risks attached to this move for you?
"Risks…well, if you walk across the road outside the stadium, there is a risk. That is what life is; nobody knows what is going to happen in the future.
"I left England when I was 30 years old, and I went to a club that had sacked the manager every year for the previous five years. It was the fourth tier of Swedish football, and I left a secure job, my wife's business, for an opportunity.
"I've taken careful steps with my career – I haven't just jumped at the first opportunity. I've always tried to understand what was involved and whether it was the right time for me to take the next challenge, but I think that is what life is.
"It's about going outside of your comfort zone, taking responsibility, believing there is more to us that sits here now. I don't see it as a risk in a negative way, but everything is a bit unknown, and that is the beauty of life."
How have the squad reacted to you in these opening days in charge?
"The response has been really positive, as I say. They are a really honest group, a really responsible group, and they have been positive around the training ground. They want to achieve, do well, and I am absolutely happy with the team and squad. The group has got a lot of quality, and I am looking forward to over the next few days and weeks getting to know them better and better."
Is it frustrating that after this game, you won't have another until October?
"No, we know that. There's nothing we can do to control that. It's part of things that are above it. It is what it is. I've always been that type – just worry about the things that I can control, and they are to prepare the team as best we can and get to work with the players as much as we can while we have them."
Last Thursday was a big day for everyone. Were there conflicting emotions for you?
"It was one of those days where in 20 years, 30, 40 years time, we'll go, 'Where were you when that happened?' It'll be easy for me to answer, that's for sure. A seismic day on loads of levels because I had the exciting news of being here and everything that went with that. And without sounding silly, I was the main news, I guess.
"Then sadly I didn't become the news at all and the Queen, who is someone that has been in all of our lives, passed away, and it was an incredible story. And then you start to think about your own life and your own memories. My childhood memories with my mum and dad, bless them – a lot of those are with Queen's jubilee or some royal family event, a wedding. So you start to think about, wow, how constant she's been in all of our lives and pretty quickly your thoughts are with the family."
Your title is head coach, but do you see yourself being involved in transfers, the appointment of a sporting director, and you've obviously brought Kyle Macauley here?
"Predominantly, I've always thought that I'm a head coach. My job is to help the football club, and I've always taken that approach. I was lucky that I had an opportunity in Sweden to build a football club.
"What I got from that is that the club is always the most important thing. We are just here to serve the club and do our best, and they take the directive, and we try to help as best as we can.
"Kyle is one of my members of staff, he's been with me for ten years. He is really important in terms of recruitment, so a lot of the conversations that I think you need in terms of between ownership and the board can be had via him because he knows me well, and he knows how we want to play, he knows the culture, he knows the environment and as you'd imagine those conversations often are time-consuming, so he's really, really important for me.
"That's not to say that I don't try to help the club in terms of making decisions around transfers, but my main job is to help the guys that are here, help the players that are here and help them improve and put a team on the pitch that our supporters are proud of.
It's important to connect with the supporters. What would your mission statement be as Chelsea head coach?
"I've always said the connection between the supporters and the team is the most important thing. I'm the head coach and a member of the team and an important member of the team, but no more important than anyone else. I'd love their support, and everything I've heard so far makes me believe I have that, and I'm very, very thankful for it.
"In terms of what I can promise, we're playing a game which is uncontrollable, and so I promise I'll do my best every single day. It's a big responsibility. The team I want to see is one that's balanced in terms of attack and defence; a humble team and a respectful team that, when it doesn't have the ball, runs hard and fights because I think that's important also; we want to entertain, but we also want to win.
"I'm respectful of the Premier League, respectful of my opponents, and there's a lot of teams that want to do the same, but we want to create our own team, our own identity, so it's recognisable, so the supporters recognise what we want to do, can see what we want to do and we'll fight every day for it."
Obviously, you have a game tomorrow. What is the latest team news?
"Eddie [Edou Mendy] will miss the game, so will NG [N'Golo Kante]. Apart from that everybody is fit. Eddie has responded well, but his knee has bothered him for a bit. I don't think it'll be long, but we need to give him some time."
When approached by the Chelsea ownership, did you speak to your family?
"My immediate family: my wife and my children. Although my children are 12 and 7... so I didn't bog them down with it too much! But my wife, bless her, has been with me on this journey along the way, so it's important for me to have this conversation.
"Then it's about having the conversation with my staff, the owners here, we had to make a decision, it was very intense, a lot of talks but I had a nice feeling from the owners on a human level. Good people, intelligent people who have an understanding of what they want to achieve, they think in the long term and have a plan, so that was exciting. We were happy, secure, and at a good football club, and you have to acknowledge that as well.
"But as I said, it was too big to turn down, and it felt right for me. I'll always be respectful and thankful to Brighton and Hove Albion, but this is an amazing football club, and it's an amazing opportunity for us."
If this approach had come during the Roman Abramovich era, would you have been less inclined to take it?
"I don't like answering ifs – those types of questions. But it's not fair on the current owners to compare and not fair on the previous owners to compare. It was what it was, and the history of Chelsea and the previous ownership is fantastic, and I'm respectful of that. I've grown up with success, and it's been amazing, and our job is to create our own history, our own path, and that's what what we'll be focused on that."
When you left for Sweden, was your aim to get back to this level in England? Or did it feel too far away to think about?
"When I left England to go to Sweden, I think I was working in the ninth tier of English football. And then I went to the fourth tier of Swedish football. So in terms of where I sit now, there is the bottom, and then there are a load of levels, and then there was me.
"So I didn't have any plan that I am going to be here sitting here in front of you guys. I've never had that, to be honest."
Was this always your ambition, though?
"Yes, in terms of ambition, of course, you want to test yourself at the highest level you can. But I think ambition is one thing and responsibility is better in terms of working as hard as you can in the job that you are in, to do as best as you can, and take the steps when it's the right time to take the steps.
"There was no grand plan. I just focused on doing my best at every club I have been at. I try to take responsibility, try to analyse any mistakes made, try to move forward, and then it's just about life. Nobody can predict how it is going to go, nobody knows, and that's why it's so beautiful."
Connecting with players and man-management is one of your strengths, so how do you approach it in this situation at Chelsea?
"It sounds strange, but I approach it as I've approached every job at every football club with the greatest respect to every job and every context. I know this is a different environment and a different context, but we're still working with people as far as I know and then it's about understanding them, treating them with respect, getting to know them, trying to communicate as clearly as possible, and building relationships. That's how it is.
"There are all sorts of narratives out there that top players are this, top players are that believe you me in my experience people are quite complicated. People have egos. People have different things that challenge, and that's the fascinating thing about this job, I think, something I really enjoy."
Do you see yourself as a pioneer for young English coaches?
"I just see myself as a coach, not necessarily an English coach is the first thing I would say, even though I'm tremendously grateful for my family and my history and everything that I've had to come to this point.
"I'm grateful for the seven years I had in Sweden, which shaped me as a coach and a person. So I don't know. I left here when I was 30. I'm now 47, and in those 17 years, I've educated myself as well as I can. I've taken on the different levels and taken on steps to go forwards. I think that's something that's positive.
"In coaching, no matter where you're from, you need to always take responsibility, always believe that you can be more than what you are now and help the football club that you're working as best as you can. If that's helpful to the other English coaches because there are lots of really, really good English coaches, then great, but my responsibility is to my family and me."
What is a success this season in your view?
"Well, all my thoughts are on tomorrow night, so that's the first thing! We need to compete here. That's how it is. We have to compete, and as I said earlier, I have respect for the Premier League for the Champions League for the competitions we are in, but we're Chelsea. There are no guarantees.
"Resources alone aren't enough, as we know. It's about connecting with our supporters, about them recognising their team and what we're trying to do, working every day at Cobham, getting that understanding of how we want to play football, but success is to see improvement and be competing to win."
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