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London (AP) - Thomas Tuchel hopped to the sidelines with a big leap, waved his captain over and gave tactical instructions with the help of his wide-spread arms.
The new Chelsea coach ran up and down the sideline in his new dark blue tracksuit with a matching woolen hat and arched his back at one of the many scoring chances that had been missed, as if he wanted to climb up to a header himself.
He called out to the German international Antonio Rüdiger in German that he had played the ball "too early".
It was certainly not due to Tuchel's commitment and energy that Chelsea did not get beyond a goalless draw at the short-term debut of the former Bundesliga coach.
But Tuchel wouldn't be Tuchel if he hadn't formulated typical Tuchel words a few moments after the final whistle at the rainy Stamford Bridge: “We will form a team that nobody wants to play against.
That's the challenge for me that I want to tackle as soon as possible, ”said the 47-year-old after the 0-0 draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
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He wants to create "a special energy and atmosphere" that is necessary to win every three days in a league like the Premier League.
The English press, however, was not quite as euphoric as he was.
The Guardian wrote of a “frustrating tie”, the tabloid “Sun” wanted to see a “toothless appearance” - but Tuchel's optimism could not be shaken.
"If that was our prelude, I'll be curious where we'll end up," he said.
He had aptly described the days and hours before his comeback on the international football stage as "bizarre".
Shortly before Christmas the less festive Au revoir near Paris Saint-Germain, on Monday Frank Lampard's exemption from the club from London, on Tuesday evening the announcement of the Tuchel commitment, a first training session after the corona test procedure had been overcome - and that on Wednesday Debut on the bench.
Tuchel could have had it easier.
He could have asked for time until the weekend and could have insisted on an interim solution for the game against the Wolves.
But the former BVB coach is not a coach of the conjunctive.
«From now on I don't see too many weaknesses.
I will focus on our strengths, ”said Tuchel, raving about the“ fantastic mix of experienced players, great personalities and young, hungry talents ”.
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With these, he now has to implement the ambitious guidelines of club boss Roman Abramowitsch as quickly as possible.
Before kick-off he saw a banner in the stadium as a tribute to club icon Lampard (“In Frank we trust”), and in his first starting line-up he did without one of Lampard's favorite players in Mason Mount.
But Tuchel tried not to pay too much attention to all these supposed trivialities.
In general, the line-up was “unfair because I didn't have an explanation for anyone on the team why he wasn't playing,” said Tuchel with a smile after getting to know his team.
Against the Wolves, he relied on routine and a 3-2-4-1, left national player Timo Werner on the bench for 90 minutes and was only partially impressed by the performance of DFB colleague Kai Havertz.
But figures such as 79 percent possession, 92 percent pass rate or 14: 4 shots on goal made Tuchel cautiously optimistic.
"That gives me a good feeling about the future," he said.
However, in this one eighth place is not enough.
The re-qualification for the Champions League, in which Atlético Madrid is the opponent in the round of 16, is considered a must.
After the game against Burnley FC on Sunday, the London derby at José Mourinho's Tottenham Hotspur is on.
Two trend-setting and, in the case of a comparison with the no less characterful Portuguese, also attractive duels.
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Despite all the Chelsea fever, there was one thing that Tuchel didn't want to know about.
When asked whether the Blues could still win the title this season, he uttered a long “Ooooooh”.
"That is very far away, we have to be realistic," said Tuchel.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210128-99-206754 / 2
Match report
Match report with Tuchel reactions on Chelsea homepage