Tuchel provides calm amid Chelsea storm ahead of Real clash

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.

Unable to negotiate new contracts with players due to the sanctions, Chelsea have had to sit by while key defenders Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen and Cesar Azpilicueta considered their futures.

As if that wasn't potentially distracting enough, fears were mounting that Chelsea might be pushed into administration amid the mayhem triggered by the sanctions.

Restricted on the amount of money they could spend on travel to away games, Tuchel joked he was willing to drive the team bus himself before their Champions League last 16 win at Lille.

Yet, despite the chaos, Tuchel kept his players focused so well that they won six successive matches in all competitions immediately after Abramovich put the club up for sale.

It was a winning streak that underlined Tuchel's best qualities as he deflected any pressure away from his players with intelligent, empathetic responses to questions about the war in Ukraine and the unintended consequences for Chelsea.

That made it all the more surprising when Chelsea