Thomas Tuchel spent **** y Christmas after PSG sacking but says it is a ‘dream’ to be in the Premier League now with Chelsea after opening draw

Thomas Tuchel told talkSPORT he had had a fucked up Christmas but now beamed at being Chelsea boss and managing the Premier League.

Tuchel replaced Frank Lampard at Stamford Bridge headquarters this week and oversaw his first game on Wednesday night just 48 hours after arriving.

AFP or licensors

The German was only sacked by Paris Saint-Germain in December but wasted no time in taking on a new job at Chelsea.

Speaking to talkSPORT after Chelsea’s 0-0 draw with Wolves, Tuchel said: “The league itself [excites me], and the club and this league are amazing.

“As far as my job goes, I had a lovely Christmas, and suddenly I felt like I found the best present and forgot the best present under the Christmas tree and it is there.

“It’s a dream to be in the competition with the best teams and the best coaches; this is what you dream of and when it becomes a reality it is an amazing feeling.

“In general I had my doubts this was going to happen and then suddenly in the last 72 hours it was Chelsea and the Premier League.

“I felt like I couldn’t pass up this possibility because I would regret it for the rest of my coaching life.

Getty Images

“Of course, with all due respect to the legacy and work of Frank Lampard here, that was the possibility … and there was ultimately no doubt in jumping on it because the combination and the mix in the team of personality, experience and intellect are amazing to work with. “

When asked if he had any reservations about succeeding club legend Lampard, Tuchel added: “Of course I have a lot of respect and the club made this decision and has nothing to do with it. I. I was lucky and that’s it.

Tuchel’s debut was hardly a classic as the game with Wolves at Stamford Bridge ended in a dead end.

Chelsea enjoyed plenty of possession and passed the ball over 800 times, but couldn’t get that important breakthrough.

But Tuchel was more than satisfied with his first impressions on his side.

He continued: “I was very happy and at the same time impressed with the intensity of my team. I was very happy with the energy and the attitude so I learned today that the guys are totally reliable.

“They were absolutely focused on yesterday’s practice, an hour-long tactics session and today, both talks, I could see everything on the pitch.

“High recoveries in the last third and I learned that we have a really good mix in the squad, a great squad that is ready to play as a squad and [it was] completely reliable performance.

GETTY

“I’m very happy with that and everywhere else in the world on the pitch if you don’t score you can’t win.

“Scoring is the hardest thing and against a team that defends as well as Wolves you might need a half a chance, a bit or luck, a first game to make things right. easier, but there is no doubt at the moment.

Tuchel also admitted that he had to limit the amount of information he gave his players with such a short time to work with them.

He ended: “You always have to be selective because less is more. The team yesterday in training, we talked about some things in terms of attack and defense, which was very open and absolutely ready to fill in what was needed.

“It was a very good performance and all the time you want to give a lot of information but less is more.

“Structure and intensity – I was very happy.”