Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has rejected the idea that anybody at the club needs to apologise to him for their role in the failed Super League, as he is simply the man paid to manage the team.
The Blues were one of the 12 founding members of the breakaway competition, but after fan protests ahead of Tuesday's goalless draw with Brighton, they became the first to voice their intention to walk away from the competition.
It brought an abrupt end to a tumultuous 48 hours, which Tuchel blamed for his side's underwhelming performance against the Seagulls, but he insisted that owner Roman Abramovich and chairman Bruce Buck owe him no apology for their actions.
“Yes it has been distracting, but it’s the owner’s club, it’s not my club,” Tuchel said in his press conference ahead of Saturday's meeting with West Ham. “I’m part of the club, but it’s the owner and the club’s decision, and now they change that decision.
“There’s no need to apologise to me directly, my job is to adapt to the circumstances. And were we distracted? Yeah, clearly.
“Me personally, I arrived in a state of mind on Tuesday at the stadium that was clearly not the mindset that I normally arrive in for a match. But that’s already in the past, and like I said, I don’t think they need to apologise to me.”
Tuchel also confessed that he expects fans to forgive the club's board fairly quickly, pointing to all the positive work Chelsea have done in the community over the last decade.
Abramovich has personally invested in the fight against racism, anti-Semitism and discrimination in football, and during the COVID-19 outbreak, he gave NHS staff free use of the club's hotel to show his appreciation for their efforts.
"I think that the people and the fans know very, very well that it’s also the credit from the owners who improve their clubs, build strong clubs and make the most competitive league in the world," he continued.
“So I think they appreciate that very, very well. And people can read very clearly also and can divide one thing from another, and they express their opinion on this decision. They were absolutely not happy, the fans, obviously.
“But I don’t think it affects in general the opinion of what, for example, our owner of this club does for the community, does for the academy, for the women’s team and for the first team.”
For more from Tom Gott, follow him on Twitter!
Source : 90min