Tuchel: “Coming back is unlikely, but it’s worth trying”

Thomas Tuchel offered a press conference on Monday morning from the sports city of Cobham. Chelsea will play the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinals on Tuesday with the obligation to come back from 1-3 in the first leg if they want to be in the semifinals.

Remount Options: “We don’t have the best options, given the result of the first leg, given the competition and given the opponent and their stadium. But we never manage based on the chances we have based on the result. It is unlikely to come back, but it is worth it try and if we try, it will be because we play to the fullest, to the limit. It is what it is, it will be a great night”.

What did they learn on the way?: “You can learn things from the first leg and also use situations from the last game. That’s what we will use.”

The casualties: “Hudson-Odoi is out, Chilwell too, Lukaku is not traveling, Ross Barkley is sick and Azpilicueta has already tested negative and is with the group.”

Differences with last year: “It couldn’t be more different. It will be one of the biggest challenges, playing as a visitor at the Bernabéu, and even more so counting on the result of the first leg. It’s worth trying and it’s a stage where you can give your best level. It’s a great opportunity to learn and maybe an experience to push our limits.”

Madrid has many older players, who find it difficult to follow a high pace. Could the key be there to turn the tie around?: “We wanted to make it physical in the first leg, that it be very intense. It is true that we played at a disadvantage with Madrid in that aspect, because they have been playing the whole season with five changes and we have not, and we play in the most physical league there is. We couldn’t do well in the first game thanks to Madrid’s ability to slow down the game, last year in the second leg we were very, very intense, even though we lost possession of the ball.Possession is not statistics that indicates if you played an intense game or not. In the first leg we suffered with the pressure after loss and to find intensity in the races. We need to find a way to make the game more physical”.

Do you dream that they get it?: “We need a fantastic script. The task and the challenge are incredibly hard, because of the opponent and because of the place of the match. But we have permission to dream. Sometimes it is important to imagine things and dream about them. That will not change our approach, we will support our team and we’ll try as hard as we can. It’s a sport and it’s a game, and the beauty of this game is that anything is possible.”

Kovacic: “Modric plays like this because he is a professional every day”

La ida: “We didn’t play our best game and the result wasn’t good. But we have hope and motivation to show our best version.”

Did it hurt not to play the first leg?: “It’s difficult not to play, regardless of the rival, but the coach always chooses the eleven and can’t choose 22 players.”

Play against his friend Modric: “It’s hard to stop him, he’s an amazing player. I admire him because when I was a kid he played for my team, Dinamo Zagreb. Now we’re friends and I admire him even more. He’s always played as well as he does now. the last five or six years he has been at the same level. Why is he so good? Because he loves football and he is professional every day of the year. It was nice to play against him, I always prefer to play with him in my team, but tomorrow we will try give the best.”

Drop in performance after the break: “It’s never easy to come back after a national team break, but it’s no excuse for how we’ve played lately. It’s good to talk, we had a meeting that was important and it helped us get up.”

Other comebacks to get inspired: “There are many, I was in Madrid who lost 2-0 in Wolfsburg and then came back 3-0 to go through to the quarterfinals. And Chelsea, who lost 3-1 to Napoli and came back. Football always surprises and we need to be above 100%”.