Blues manager Thomas Tuchel has deflected the praise from him towards his players at Stamford Bridge with Chelsea enjoying a superb run of form in recent times and hope to move into the top-four on Tuesday evening when they face Brighton.
Since Tuchel’s hiring in the backend of January, the former Paris Saint-Germain boss has been credited with a major turnaround at the west London giants who were reeling in the bottom half of the Premier League table when under the charge of Frank Lampard.
Chelsea now also stand assured of a place in the FA Cup finals upon them handing a 1-0 defeat to Manchester City last week in a game that went the Blues’ way courtesy of a hard-earned showing on their own patch.
Tuchel, however, believes it is the Chelsea players who deserve the plaudits coming his way, according to reports from the club’s official website, with the German coach quite transparent in his views on the west Londoners competing in the toughest division of league football across Europe.
“I never see it like me battling against coaches,” he said.
“I am responsible for a huge club in the toughest league in Europe and I am here to have these kind of competitions.
“Once you have on the other sideline the most influential, successful and charismatic coaches out there in Europe, you know that the challenge is on and that’s why I’m here. That’s what excites me a lot and brings me out of bed early.
“I know very well that if you want to have results like we had then you need also a bit of luck and the momentum. I demand from myself that we do not get carried away by this and think that I beat someone.
“I did not play tennis or chess against them. In the end, I lead my team and the credit goes to the players. When you arrive with a team that is able to perform and create results against other strong clubs then you’re a happy coach and this is what it is.”
