‘Honestly, I will do it’; Tuchel makes pledge after naming ‘exceptional’ Chelsea star

Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel praised his side’s resilience after they overcame Newcastle and made it clear he will see out the season at the club.

The Blues made it five straight Premier League wins as Kai Havertz struck late on to earn his side all thee points. The victory consolidated the west Londoners’ third spot in the table. They now have 59 points from 28 games played and are seven points adrift of second-placed Liverpool.

It looked as though the match would end goalless until Havertz’s late effort. But the Germany international could easily have seen red earlier on after appearing to elbow Newcastle defender Dan Burn.

Tuchel was relieved after the final whistle and conceded that fortune was on their side during the contest.

“The Kai Havertz goal was exceptional. We were, of course, a bit lucky today,” he told BBC Sport. “We maybe had a hard time on the pitch because Newcastle was physical, well deserved, gave us difficulty to create chances and accelerate the game in the last 30 metres.

“It was so important not to concede. To have the quality with one chance, one quality pass and one quality finish to win it.

“Thank goodness we did it. We never got frustrated about it. They defended very, very well. You could see in the last four minutes what a goal does to the team.”

Tuchel going nowhere

Events off the pitch have overshadowed Chelsea’s preparation for the Magpies encounter. There is much uncertainty at the club after the sanctions imposed on Roman Abramovich.

Three Chelsea players linked with moves to Juventus amid Abramovic uncertainty

Antonio Rudiger, Jorginho and Emerson Palmieri have all been linked with moves to Juventus this summer amid uncertainty surrounding the club after owner Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by the British government. Rudiger and Jorginho would be big losses, given they are regular starters for the blues – can they hold onto their best players in these testing times?

Times are tough at Stamford Bridge but Tuchel is not about to throw in the towel.

“There’s no doubt I’ll stay until the end of the season. Absolutely,” he added. “We just have to wait and we still have to go day-by-day because everything can change.

“As you know the situation is clear, the club’s for sale, and hopefully, it will go through to sort things out and give us a perspective. But it’s pure speculation and I have no further information than you already have.

“That’s what I meant with day-by-day, which is anyway a good way to live your life, and now we are forced to do it because there are some circumstances we cannot influence, and at some point it’s not so nice because we have no strings to pull and no actions to do to help.”

Tuchel prepared to park the bus

Chelsea are next in action on Wednesday when they face Lille in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie. The Londoners will take a 2-0 lead to Stade Pierre-Mauroy.

And Tuchel hinted that he will do all that is necessary to make sure the club fulfils the fixture.

“My last information is we are getting a plane. So we can go by plane and come back by plane,” he said. “If not, we’ll go by train. If not, we’ll go by bus. If not, I’ll drive a seven-seater. Honestly, I will do it. You can mark my words, I will do to arrive there.

“If you asked me 20 years ago, 30 years ago, if I would join a Champions League match at the sideline and what I was willing to do, I’d say, ‘ok, where do I have to be and when?’ Why should this change?”

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