Coaches left to provide answers after day of Chelsea turmoil following Roman Abramovich sanction - The Warm-Up

FRIDAY'S BIG STORIES Blow Out The Candles Ad/> Yesterday was Chelsea Football Club's 117th birthday. Nothing big planned, apparently. The men's team were away at Norwich, the women's were off to West Ham.

Oh, and the club's owner had all his property seized by the government, virtually ending the club's ability to take in or give out money. You know, normal birthday stuff. Premier LeagueChalobah, Mount and Havertz all net as Chelsea see off Norwich after chaotic day16 HOURS AGO It is unclear whether there was cake.

If there was, it is unclear whether that cake now belongs to the nation. If it does, though, just a little slice. Just a sliver.

Just— well, a bit bigger than that. Bit more. There you go.

There is, presumably, never a good time for a club to be impounded due to its owner's alleged close relationship with a war-making leader. But modern football places a great emphasis on preparation, on players being in the right frame of mind before each game. Careful routines of visualisation and psychological self-care serve to help each footballer get themselves into the optimum condition to perform in a sport where the tiniest margin can make a difference.

None of those routines, we're guessing, involve sitting around wondering if Liz Truss is now technically one's boss. One of the more quietly dispiriting features of Chelsea's approach to this whole situation has been the way in which the coaches have been left to field the questions. Thomas Tuchel might well have nuanced and sensitive views on international geopolitics, high-level finance, and the place of the club within those two opaque systems.