Thomas Tuchel explains how lack of fans will affect Chelsea’s hunt for a cup double

Chelsea have booked their place in the FA Cup semi-finals and the quarter-finals of the Champions League and Thomas Tuchel opened up on the possibility of not having any fans to support them

Will Wembley be half empty for the FA Cup semi-final, with Chelsea banned from selling tickets to fans? Or will all the tickets go to their opponents with an 80,000 capacity crowd cheering against them?

While Thomas Tuchel and his players serve up rock solid, world-class brilliance on the pitch, Government licence sanctions cause uncertainty with every game they progress in the Football Association’s flagship competition.

Wembley is the next battleground after Mason Mount’s two assists teed up Romelu Lukaku and Hakim Ziyech to score early, and ensure a smooth victory. Chelsea are bidding for their 5th FA Cup final in the last six seasons – the only one they won was in 2018 against Manchester United.

It’s a record they have to put right, and whether they have fans in the stadium or not, nothing is likely to derail Chelsea according to Tuchel, who wants the club sold “as soon as possible.” He said: “When (the sale process) gets crucial and decisive then it is enough that I know it. The offers are in now and the board tries to find a decision with the government as soon as possible.

“It’s everyone’s responsibility to show the right spirit, positivity, and not go into self-pity and worry about a situation we didn’t cause and can’t change. So it is still a pleasure to go to training and do what we do in an environment that is so supportive. That is my feeling about it.

“We can’t influence the situation, and we can’t change the situation. We had to find a certain level of accepting the situation and refocusing on what we can influence. That is our performance. The good thing is from day one I found a very ambitious club and a huge staff that is determined to push the players to the maximum level of performance.

“This includes focus, respectful behaviour, and an attitude of team spirit. These are the things that we rely on now, and trust. It’s impressive.”

Chelsea sealed this game after 15 minutes, Hakim Ziyech releasing Mason Mount up the right-wing. There wasn’t a Boro challenge in sight. Then Dael Fry failed to cut out his cross and Lukaku, who hasn’t scored in the league since December 29 but has become a cup specialist, tapped in.

This was his third in FA Cup, and in the calendar years, he’s also netted twice in the club World Cup but not in the league. Ziyech scored the second after 31 minutes, in a four-pass move the length of the pitch. The Moroccan slashed a swerving goal past Joe Lumley. “It was nice to mark my birthday with a goal”, he said. Both goals were created by the imperious Mount.

Boro were strangely flat compared to their heroics in the previous rounds against Manchester United and Spurs. Chelsea are on a different level and regret a dip in form in December. It’s 12 wins in 13 games now – the only defeat being on penalties in the Carabao Cup.

Asked if he was involved in “crisis management” Tuchel said: “I am absolutely ok. There are people who are worried who are not in the spotlight or as privileged as me. There are 700/800 people working at Chelsea and are worrying more, maybe existentially worried about what will happen and asking if they can stay at the club and what will happen at the club.”

Tuchel has given his verdict on Chelsea’s hopes of rejoining the Premier League title race. A run of 12 wins in 13 games saw Tuchel asked about joining Liverpool and Manchester City in the race for the top spot. Chelsea will be eight points behind City and seven adrift of Liverpool if they win their game in hand in the pair.

But he is realistic and joked his rivals are on a “three year” winning streak, not just 13 games. He said: “The problem is they (Man City and Liverpool) are also on a run for a long time. They are like three years on a run! I have the feeling and it seems like their three years on a run, our 13 games are not enough. We have to be honest.

“We will never admit anything before things are decided. We will always push ourselves and push ourselves to the limit. We cannot do anything else, but we should not get carried away that two teams took advantage of our problems, so full credit to them, they deserve to be where they are and we need to make sure to catch as many points as possible.

“We work hard for luck but we accept that luck is also needed when you get a streak of wins like we had it. In that period you mention where the gap opened up between Liverpool and City with us, there were injuries. Unfortunately, we struggled with long term injuries and corona. We arrived at a time with 14 players at Wolves after coronavirus.

“There was a time that hit us hard where players had to isolate for 10 or 12 days with symptoms. That was a rule and we struggled with that. But the attitude was always. But still, the mentality is good, the quality is good and I felt it after the Club World Cup that we were more fluid and with more rhythm back in training and it increased the level to an incredible level. From there we had a good feeling and I am glad I was right.”