Thomas Tuchel Strangely Agrees with Guardiola's Controversial Comments About Liverpool Ahead of Fa Cup Final

Thomas Tuchel Strangely Agrees with Guardiola's Controversial Comments About Liverpool Ahead of Fa Cup Final

Rene Otinga
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:02 PM
In this article:
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England
  • Tuchel says Guardiola might have been right in saying Liverpool enjoyed a huge support in England
  • Liverpool come up against Chelsea in the FA Cup final at Wembley on Saturday, May 14
  • Ahead of the game, Tuchel spoke on his side’s chances , saying Chelsea were the ‘bad guys’ of the final

Thomas Tuchel seemed to back Pep Guardiola’s claims that a large chunk of England fans supported Merseysiders Liverpool.

The German spoke at a press conference ahead of the FA Cup final against Liverpool as Chelsea seek to break their Wembley curse in recent seasons.

They come up against a Liverpool side chasing an unlikely quadruple, with the Blues looking for their first trophy this season.

Thomas Tuchel, Guardiola, Klopp, FA Cup final
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel looks dejected during the Premier League match between Everton and Chelsea at Goodison Park on May 1, 2022. Photo by Simon Stacpoole.
Source: Getty Images

Guardiola on Liverpool

Pep Guardiola recently made headlines after coming out with some sensational claims, that the Champions League finalists Liverpool enjoyed a huge support in England compared to their rivals.

According to the Spaniard, Liverpool has been getting a lot of plaudits from media and fans alike, something Manchester City did not necessarily enjoy.

Guardiola also suggested that everyone in England wanted Liverpool to win the league, then aimed a thinly-veiled dig at the club for only winning the league once in 30 years.

Tuchel’s response

Interestingly, Tuchel seemed to back Guardiola’s claims, albeit subtly.

“Klopp is a fantastic guy,  a  funny guy,  one of the very best coaches in the world and that’s what he does.” The German said as quoted by Give me Sport.
Tuchel went on to say that he did not mind Chelsea being the ‘bad guys’ in the final on Saturday.
“It’s always like this but it’s always the fun part and so if we are the bad guys tomorrow, then no problem.
“Forty nine or forty per cent, then no problem. We take that role, we don’t want to have the sympathy of the country tomorrow, we want to have the trophy.”

Chelsea sweating over Kovacic’s fitness

As far as team news is concerned, Chelsea’s biggest concerns will be the absence of Mateo Kovacic, who was on the receiving end of a poor tackle from Leeds’ Daniel James midweek.

He now has a recurring ankle concern, but Tuchel has not completely ruled out the Croatian from featuring in the final.

Aside from Kovacic, Tuchel has a fairly potent squad to choose from.

Authors
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Rene Otinga
Rene Otinga is a sports journalist with over eight years of working experience in digital media. Rene's experience includes working as a Copywriter at X News Kenya and TUKO.co.ke.
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Jürgen KloppPep GuardiolaThomas Tuchel