MY ACCOUNT
Chelsea are eager to fly out Thomas Tuchel to the Club World Cup final, as Jorginho said the head coach could make all the difference.
Tuchel tested positive for COVID-19 in the lead-up to the trip to the United Arab Emirates, with Chelsea announcing that blow to their preparations last Saturday.
The Champions League winners beat Al-Hilal 1-0 in the semi-finals without Tuchel on the touchline, thanks to a Romelu Lukaku goal, and now they are preparing to face Palmeiras in the final.
Brazilian giants Palmeiras, holders of the Copa Libertadores, were 2-0 winners against Al Ahly and will present tough opposition for Chelsea.
Saturday’s trophy match is one that Tuchel would want to attend, and Chelsea reportedly have a private jet on standby, but he needs negative test results before he can be cleared to travel to Abu Dhabi.
Asked about preparing for the game without Tuchel, Jorginho said: “Of course it’s different. His energy helps a lot, but he’s not here now and the staff is trying to do their best. We can feel that.
“We feel sorry Thomas is not here with us, but he’s involved all the time, in touch with the staff and team. We can feel the staff, all of them, are doing their best.”
It would help, however, if Tuchel can be present in person, rather than making plans from afar.
“Of course it gives you more,” Jorginho said. “There’s more energy in the changing room. It’ll be really important for us if he could be here. That’s what we hope but at the moment we just don’t know. We can hope.”
Chelsea assistant boss Zsolt Low, set to lead the team if Tuchel cannot make the trip, added: “We still hope he can come and enjoy the group and the final as soon as possible.
“He is following the rules and getting tested. There is a lot of time. Any test he does could be negative. We hope this happens in the next hours. Thomas absolutely thinks he can be there, and the team and the whole staff want him to come for the final.
“We hope he can come, but if he cannot, we are still well prepared. We have had a lot of meetings. We had a video conference after the first game analysing it, and seeing what we can do better and what problems we had. We are absolutely clear what happened in the first game and what we have to do better in the second game.”
Chelsea have yet to decide whether goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, back from helping Senegal win the Africa Cup of Nations, should come back into the team in place of Kepa Arrizabalaga.
“We have to take this decision tonight or latest tomorrow,” said Low. “We talk to Thomas about it, we talk with the goalkeeper coaches, and we will make the final decision tomorrow, some hours before the game.
“Whoever sits on the bench has nothing to be worried or sad about. Both goalkeepers have had big performances in the last weeks, and that’s why it’s just a decision for this game.”
Jorginho will be targeting another major trophy, after his Champions League win with Chelsea and Euro 2020 triumph with Italy last year.
“It’s an important trophy. It’s February. It’s so much. We really want it. We’re not thinking about the Premier League right now, we’re thinking about tomorrow,” Jorginho said. “That’s the important thing right now.”
This will be the fourth Club World Cup final between an English and a Brazilian side, making it the most commonly contested final by teams from two specific nations.
Brazilian sides have won three of their four games against English opposition at the tournament, the exception being a 1-0 defeat for Flamengo against Liverpool in the 2019 final.
Chelsea lost to Corinthians in the 2012 final, and Palmeiras are bidding to become the fifth Brazilian winners of the competition.
Palmeiras certainly head into the final in strong form, having achieved a 10-game unbeaten run across all competitions (W7 D3), with their last defeat coming back in November against Fortaleza in the league.
