Chelsea face Real Madrid on Wednesday reeling from their heaviest defeat of the season, but Thomas Tuchel’s battle-hardened ability to keep his players focused should ensure the Champions League holders are ready for the latest test of their resilience.

While Saturday’s shock 4-1 home defeat against Brentford was hardly ideal preparation for the quarter-final first leg against Real, Chelsea boss Tuchel has dealt with worse setbacks during a turbulent period for his club.

When Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by the British government for his alleged links with Russian President Vladimir Putin following the invasion of Ukraine, the Blues were plunged into a financial meltdown that threatened to engulf Tuchel’s team.

 

Continue reading this article on Sports Desk, the new sports website by Times of Malta

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.