Thomas Tuchel’s assistant sends message to Chelsea fans after draw with Red Bull Salzburg
Arno Michels, one of Thomas Tuchel's assistants at Chelsea, posted a message for the fans after the Blues' 1-1 draw against RB Salzburg in the UEFA Champions League.
The Blues suffered a 1-0 defeat in the opening fixture of the Champions League against Dinamo Zagreb. Thomas Tuchel was sacked as the manager of the club after that defeat.
Brighton & Hove Albion manager Graham Potter was brought in by Todd Boehly to replace the German manager who won the Champions League with the Blues trophy a season ago.
Tuchel was a fan favorite and the crowd at Stamford Bridge chanted his name as a mark of appreciation throughout the game.
Michels was left emotional by the gesture response from fans and posted a message on his Instagram story, writing:
"Thanks to all the supporters for this emotional moment."
Tuchel’s assistant on Instagram 💙 https://t.co/MlaIekboh0
The London-based club now sit at the bottom of Group E, having collected only one point from their first two games of the Champions League campaign.
They will next take on AC Milan twice, home and away. Positive results are needed in the next few games to keep their chances of qualifying for the Round of 16 alive.
Potter addressed the situation in his post-match press conference:
"We can't lie, it's not the position we want to be in, but we have to respond. It's as simple as that. It's going to be a tough group, I think, but there is enough quality in the team and squad that we can respond, and we have to look forward to those two games." (h/t football.london)
Chelsea manager Graham Potter praised his players' effort in his first game in charge
Though Potter didn't win his first game in charge of Chelsea, he showered praise on his players for their efforts during the match:
"They gave everything. We've only got a point, and we're disappointed with that, but I was very proud of how they acted today. It's not been easy for them either with the change of coach and everything that comes with that, but their response has been brilliant. They've acted really, really well: professional, honest, responsible."
Potter further added that his team's quality was really good:
"So from an effort perspective, it was 100% there. Quality to get their often was good against a good opponent."