Thomas Tuchel stays calm amid the chaos as Chelsea’s biggest asset

Almost three months have passed since Thomas Tuchel’s job description changed. Previously he was the head coach. His role was to look after Chelsea’s first team, win some trophies and steer clear of controversy. Overall, despite the odd stumble here, the odd unauthorised interview from Romelu Lukaku there, life was good. Chelsea were an undisputed member of the elite and, after escaping the infighting and egos at Paris Saint-Germain, Tuchel appreciated being left to do what he loves most: coach his team and concentrate on the football.

But then, as Chelsea prepared to face Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final at the end of February, the mood shifted. The Russian invasion of Ukraine was under way which put Roman Abramovich in an awkward position. Suddenly, Tuchel was fielding questions about Abramovich’s future at Chelsea. Incredibly, he was prepared to answer them. “You’re right,” Tuchel said, responding to a question about Abramovich being accused in parliament of having links to the Russian state. “We should not pretend this is not an issue.”

It was something of an understatement from Chelsea’s manager. The news cycle soon became relentless. It felt irrelevant when Tuchel brought on Kepa Arrizabalaga for penalties against Liverpool and the Spanish goalkeeper sent the decisive spot-kick into orbit. Football was an afterthought.

Nobody was asking Tuchel about his team. How could they when confirmation that Abramovich was selling the club came 69 minutes before Chelsea were due to face Luton in the fifth round of the FA Cup on 2 March? Or when the UK government imposed sanctions on the Russian oligarch on the morning of Chelsea’s trip to Norwich on 10 March?

“I am not a politician,” Tuchel had said, his patience