Chelsea beat Atletico Madrid 1-0 in the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16 this week but according to manager Thomas Tuchel, the war is still ain’t over.
The Blues won the game thanks to a superb overhead kick from Olivier Giroud and picking up the crucial away goal gives Chelsea a big advantage going into the second leg.
But Tuchel will be without Mason Mount and Jorginho after the players picked up bookings in Bucharest and before the second leg, Chelsea have some really tough Premier League fixtures.
‘I’m super happy for the players and for my team that we have such a big reward for a top performance,’ he said, as reported by Chelseafc.com. ‘It was very important that we were absolutely concentrated for all 96 minutes, that we accepted also that it is very hard to create chances, but we did all that.
‘Mount and also Jorginho, we will be missing two crucial players in the next leg, that makes it not easy for us. I am very happy with the performance of everybody, that includes Mason. Again a big effort with a high intensity. Playing like this he has a big impact on our team.
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‘But honestly now we play Man U, Liverpool, Everton and Leeds, and we cannot get too comfortable, we cannot get lazy. These games will push us to our limits and then we will think about solutions for the second game against Atletico.’
The win against Atletico Madrid will be a huge confidence booster for Chelsea and this win will go a long way in helping them take on Manchester United in the Premier League this coming weekend.
After the United game, Chelsea take on Liverpool and these two matches could very well seal the fate of the London side, in terms of them finishing in the top-four this season.
Winning the Champions League is still a long-shot but after beating Atletico Madrid in the first leg, Chelsea have undoubtedly strengthened their hopes of progressing to the next round.
