Fresh from their FA Cup semi-final win over Crystal Palace, Chelsea are swiftly back in action against Arsenal on Wednesday night. With that, we were presented with another Thomas Tuchel press conference to preview the clash and delve into.
The Blues boss had plenty of interesting things to say as always as he touched on the latest injury news, Chelsea's mentality when facing Liverpool in May, and a number of individuals in his first team squad. Tuchel rarely seems unwilling to give an honest opinion, and it's what we were present with once again.
It was a lengthy press conference to preview the match against the Gunners, and we take a look at some of the biggest takeaways below:
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Four important matches
What Tuchel said: "I am a bit afraid that I don't share your opinion about what is sure and what is not. We don't know if we can finish second or not sure we don't finish fourth – I'm not sure about it until the season is finished. We will fight hard. We have a crucial four matches coming in another short period of time within like two weeks: Arsenal, West Ham, Man United, Everton. Two home, two away.
"These are crucial matches given the task of where we want to be and what we want to achieve. I agree with you that it is a big challenge in terms of the physical challenge but also mentally to now dive into the next competition and in the main competition: the Premier League.
"It seems like things are pretty safe, but they can turn so, so quickly with the schedule. We want to play a physical game again tomorrow and want to demand again from the team. I accept it is very demanding and challenging for everybody, but at the same time, it's what you sign up for when you sign up for Chelsea.
"We demand special things, we want to be a special group. We have to trust the players can overcome again and compete with teams who maybe have more days to prepare, fewer games in their legs, and still on us to push the standards and level."
Takeaway: It's clear Tuchel is not willing to take his foot off the gas yet to set Chelsea up to prepare for only the FA Cup final against Liverpool. He did rest Thiago Silva against the Eagles at the weekend, however, meaning we could see some alterations, but the German coach still seems occupied with the physical challenge the club have with nine games remaining in the season.
If Chelsea can be successful against Arsenal, West Ham, Manchester United and West Ham, maybe we begin to see how Tuchel plans to gear up for the FA Cup final, and his head turns to preparations for the summer and next season. Before that point, however, the schedule is now set in place, meaning it could be more forgiving for Tuchel to be calculated with team selections in advance.
Where has Trevoh Chalobah been?
What Tuchel said: "They are hard decisions at the moment. Maybe he feels these decisions are against him, but they are for other players. We recently had Reece James playing in his position in the back three because of his physicality and speed against key players on the left side from opponents.
"Trevoh played a lot and has had a very, very good season so far. He had a little dip in form some weeks ago, but for many weeks he has been back in full shape in training. We had a talk recently, but I cannot prove [what was said] with minutes and game minutes at the moment. But he is exactly at the level where he was at the beginning of the season.
"It's impressive because he overcame this kind of period where things felt a bit more difficult for him during the winter period. He had some mistakes and was not as comfortable on the pitch or reliable as he used to be. Now he is back to full strength. He just needs to be patient.
"Thiago [Silva] is in full shape, Andreas Christensen is back from injury, Reece played in his position. These are the reasons. Pretty normal. For me, he is taking it very well and trains excellently. This is what we demand from him. I think he will see it with minutes in the next matches."
Takeaway: In some ways, it was a surprise to see Trevoh Chalobah missing from the squad at the weekend, but it was an extension of his reduced influence since Chelsea's return from the international break. Tuchel's actions have shown where Chalobah currently lies in the pecking order, but it did not stop the 48-year-old lavishing praise on his charge.
The dip in form Tuchel speaks off came just ahead of the group heading to represent their international sides, but the German coach must like what he's seen in training from the defender to be confident that has been overcome. Or at least, it is an attempt to instil some confidence in Chalobah.
Chalobah clearly still has some standing in his coach's mind, particularly if he sticks to his words and provides the academy product with playing time in matches he had earlier deemed 'crucial'.
Jorginho's form
What Tuchel said: "He played injured, sacrificed himself for the team [earlier this season], and I think you see it now. You can never underestimate how much pressure was on him playing for the national team, the country, for Italy. The demand is high after big successes like winning the European Championships. I think he really felt the pressure there, everybody in Italy felt it. This is normal.
"Sometimes, after big successes, very difficult to keep going. He puts a lot of responsibility naturally on his shoulders because he is never shy to do so. He is never shy to do it here, and this is why I love him. It's true, I was very hard on him during the match. He had some situations he could do better and normally does. It is never personal. I love Jorgi. I know that he knows it.
"We see now we overused him. I have the feeling we see the consequences of these huge amount of matches. If he plays, he is always fully involved, gives everything, and plays with a lot of effort. He has to be absolutely fresh to have the influence he normally has.
"He is not mentally, physically in the freshest moment at the minute. He is not to blame for. It affects how I analyse it, he had two or three situations where he could do better [against Crystal Palace]. Nothing personal. Nothing that stands between us."
Takeaway: Once again, we see Tuchel unafraid to assess a player honestly. The German coach has taken the blame for Jorginho's recent form in a way that was less evident when assessing N'Golo Kante a few press conferences ago.
The Blues boss' love for Jorginho is particularly pertinent, with a big summer decision required with just over a year remaining on the Italian's contract. The note of 'He has to be absolutely fresh to have the influence he normally has', is perhaps concerning on that front, with Chelsea's schedule rarely allowing for such a condition, even with the depth available at Stamford Bridge.
Given this assessment, in the forthcoming matches, we will see how Tuchel currently assesses Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Kante's current form and ability, with the injured Kovacic having been the standout midfielder this season. The Croatian is likely absent for the two week period and four matches highlighted by the head coach, and it will be a crucial area for Chelsea to be strong in.
