Thomas
Tuchel says he will always be grateful to Frank Lampard for his work in
helping Chelsea reach this season's Champions League final.
Tuchel replaced Lampard at Stamford Bridge in January and has guided the
Blues from ninth to third in the Premier League table and finals in the
Champions League and FA Cup.
Chelsea take on London rivals Arsenal on Wednesday, live on Sky Sports, as
Tuchel's side aim to cement their place in the top four before facing
Leicester in the FA Cup final at Wembley on Saturday.
On May 29, Chelsea face Manchester City in the final of the Champions
League, and Tuchel is in no doubts about the vital role his predecessor
played in helping the club reach the biggest game of the season in European
football.
"You can only arrive in a Champions League final if you make it through the
group stage and Frank had an amazing record in the group stage," said
Tuchel. "This lays the foundations for getting to the final and I will never
forget this.
"From the first day when I came in here I was aware that Frank created his
own legacy at Chelsea and it is well deserved. When I came in it was halfway
through the season and it was about continuing the job he had done.
"He is one of the big, big players and the key figures of this club and when
you think about Chelsea you think about Frank Lampard.
"One or two days after I arrived he sent me a message and wished me all the
best - that was very nice to receive and it was very polite. I was very
happy to get that message."
The Champions League final is currently scheduled to be played at the
Ataturk Stadium in Istanbul, but Turkey is in the grip of a surge in
coronavirus cases and has been added to the UK's 'red list' of countries
with the most severe travel restrictions.
The UK government held talks with UEFA on Monday about potentially moving
the match to Wembley Stadium, but a considerable sticking point exists over
waiving quarantine rules for visiting delegates, broadcasters and sponsors
and Portugal has emerged as an increasingly likely option to stage the game.
When asked if he had a preference where the match was played, Tuchel said:
"No, absolutely not. The preference is to play it and to arrive wherever we
need to arrive.
"The good thing for me is we have top guys on the subject, in talks with
UEFA and this is good for me because they will inform us whatever it is."
top