LONDON: A pre-match virtual team talk might not be the last time Chelsea’s players get instructions from absent manager Thomas Tuchel in their semifinal match at the Club World Cup on Wednesday.
Tuchel tested positive for the coronavirus last week and was unable to fly to the United Arab Emirates on Saturday night with the squad. He will definitely miss the match against Asian champion Al Hilal but is hopeful of getting out for either the final or the third-place playoff, both of which take place on Saturday.
Tuchel’s assistants, Arno Michels and Zsolt Low, will lead the team against Al Hilal at the Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium.
“We’re constantly in contact with Thomas,” said Low, the first-team coach. “We have a lot of meetings together and we’re video-calling all the time, many times in the day. We record training and send that to him, we change ideas a lot of times in the day.”
Tuchel plans to address the team via video link likely before the squad leaves the hotel for the match.
“It might be more difficult at the stadium,” Low said.
Tuchel will have his say during the match, too.
“Also during the game,” Low said, “we can be in contact with him, on what he sees and what he wants us to do.”
“We have a very, very well structured club at Chelsea, with a lot of support for everybody. And (technical director) Petr Cech, for example, has supported us amazingly well in Thomas’ absence. We have very good team management, with a lot of support as coaching staff to overcome this situation.”
Low will not be attempting to mimic Tuchel’s lively touchline demeanor.
“You can’t copy Thomas — he’s one of the best coaches in the whole world,” Low said. “That’s why you have to share the training and coaching, and do different roles.
“And on the sideline, also … we’ll swap over between myself and my colleague Arno Michels, to try to push the team forward. And change all the time if somebody sees something or has a good opinion they can communicate it during the game or at halftime.”
First-choice goalkeeper Edouard Mendy is also yet to link up with the Chelsea squad after helping Senegal win the African Cup of Nations on Sunday.
Mendy was due to arrive in Abu Dhabi either Tuesday or Wednesday, with Chelsea waiting until then to make a final decision on the starting goalkeeper.
The likelihood remains that Kepa Arrizabalaga will start against Al Hilal.