Tuchel on message from Lampard plus update on Kante

Thomas Tuchel at his first media conference as Chelsea head coach

Thomas Tuchel today completed his first media conference as Chelsea head coach on Thursday afternoon, this was following his second training session this morning which took place after his first game in charge yesterday. 

In his media press conference Tuchel discussed his ambition for the job and spoke about whether any transfers will be made in January window, however, one of the first questions which Tuchel was asked about was the fans backlash having replaced Chelsea legend Frank Lampard.

Tuchel responded to this with 'I don't I hope not, because that would be difficult on the team. he then went onto add 'we need the supporters behind us , to have fans who are close and support the team makes a big difference. 

'I completely understand the disappointment for the fanbase in seeking Frank sacked. I have the upmost respect for him and admired Frank when he was a player. It was such a joy to watch him play and seeing how he played with a personality. He was key icon in demonstrating the over 90 minutes what Chelsea is all about, the intensity, showing devotion and playing with a winning mentality. 

'I have the upmost respect for him as a person and for his legacy, and it got bigger when I received a text message from Frank in the morning, he sent me a personal message wishing  me good luck and all the best and maybe we can meet in the future when it was possible to do so. 

' To be honest with you nothing has changed there however, in the last 72 hours the club made it clear that this is not my fault and that I cannot change the situation for Frank. The decision was made by the board and the opportunity was given to me. 

When questioned about his job security in his new role Tuchel replied with yes and no and said how grateful he was to be working at a club at premier league level. He understands completely what comes with working at a top premier league club. 

Tuchel said 'at a club like Chelsea you sign because you have a hunger to win titles, you sign because because you want to be competitive in every competition you play in.'

'The job does not scare me, Chelsea as a club have ambition a I do myself, I always have big ambitions. I am thrilled about the mixture of the team and the whole structure of the club and the first days have been amazing. I am completely aware that at some point results will be expected , but I am doing that myself.'

Whilst the debate widened on the  mixture of the squad and the make up of the squad , as well as the January transfer window due to close in three days, Tuchel was asked about the possibility of new signings. 

His response was 'It's difficult for me to judge right now'. 'We have played one game and had two training sessions and I am very pleased with what I have seen so far, with the attitude, performance as well as the overall potential and talent.

'I don't think the squad is currently too big. N'Golo Kante returned from injury today that means we have 22 players plus the goalkeepers for our squad in three competitions which is not too much.'

With Kante on the verge of being back in contention, Tuchel then thought about what he believes the best position to be for a player he has always wanted to work with, he explained that the best position for Kante is to play as one of two players who are paired deep in midfield as supposed to only one being positioned there. 

The head coach added 'I feel that these guys deserve to be trusted and I want to trust everyone. If a solution comes along to which we can all agree on and will make us stronger as a team in the right way, then we will not hesitate I am sure of this, it is not like we absolutely need to do something. " For me his strongest position is in the double-six, playing centre in the middle of the game, it provides him with more freedom than when he plays as a single-six.'

'The role of a single-six demands more discipline in this particular position but I am sure he can play there also.'

'I prefer to play him as a double-six due to his energy and from this we can use the range and volume in his game, utilising his ability to recuperate and be able to recover the ball anywhere on the pitch. 

'Kante is a big helper for everybody with the mentality of a helper', Tuchel added, who used the description 'water-carrier' which applied famously to Kante's manager at international level Didier Deschamps during his playing days. 

'At the sane time though Kante has been a world class player for France and this is the reason why it is so important for me to have him in the team, and in my opinion the double-six is the ideal role for him.'

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