"It was a very tiring situation" - Ex-Chelsea star says Thomas Tuchel was forced to answer political questions after Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by UK government
Former Chelsea star Antonio Rudiger believes former Blues manager Thomas Tuchel handled himself well in front of the media when ex-Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by the UK government.
Abramovich acquired the west London outfit in 2003 and remained the owner of the club until earlier this summer, when the Russia-Ukraine war began.
The Russian oligarch was sanctioned by the UK government after being accused of having clear connections with President Vladimir Putin (via The Guardian).
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Abramovich was forced to put the club up for sale as a result of these sanctions. The British government confirmed that the Russian did not receive any of the proceeds from the sale (via The New York Times).
Rudiger recalled how Tuchel conducted himself in a diplomatic manner in front of the media and answered political questions that were outside of his domain.
The German defender told The Guardian:
“All the questions that came up, the way he handled himself, I think you couldn’t have done it better. He took a lot of pressure from a lot of people away. Not only us players. You heard a lot from him. I think it was a very tiring situation for him. You have to focus on your job as a manager and then you have all these political questions you have to answer. He was unbelievable.”
Chelsea sacked Tuchel a few games into the 2022-23 Premier League season. The Blues subsequently appointed Graham Potter from Brighton & Hove Albion as head coach.
Rudiger left Stamford Bridge to join Real Madrid in the summer as a free agent.
Rudiger reflects on his time at Chelsea and opens up about Thomas Tuchel's sacking
Rudiger joined Chelsea in 2017 from AS Roma. The German centre-half spent five years at Stamford Bridge and registered over 200 appearances across all competitions in that time.
The Real Madrid defender spoke about his time at the west London outfit. In the aforementioned interview with The Guardian, he said:
“Chelsea was a chapter on its own. It was great, great, great. But Real Madrid is the elite club in football. This says it all: in the past nine years winning five Champions Leagues.”
The German international said he was shocked to hear about Tuchel's sacking and revealed that he sent a message to his former boss.
“It hit me. What he achieved in the club, even if it was under the old regime, it was a shock. He gets players that he wants and then all of a sudden he’s gone. But it’s Chelsea. It’s also somehow not a surprise."
Kai Havertz and Antonio Rudiger were both surprised by Thomas Tuchel's sacking... #CFC
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He added:
"I messaged him and said: ‘Thank you very much for everything you did.’ Not only for me but for all of us. Without him winning the Champions League was a bit far away.”