News broke of a training ground bust-up between Antonio Rudiger and Kepa Arrizabalaga following Chelsea’s shock loss against West Bromwich Albion. Thomas Tuchel confirmed that the incident did take place and lauded the players for showing character.
Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel has confirmed earlier reports that Antonio Rudiger and Kepa Arrizabalaga had to be separated following a training clash. News broke of a bust-up following the Blues’ heavy defeat to West Bromwich Albion, which saw them slide down to fifth in the table.
Tuchel told the reporters during his UEFA Champions League pre-match conference that the two players were in a heated confrontation. However, he played down the suggestions of any unrest, claiming that the situation was contained shortly after. He also commended the pair on the character they showed to reconcile following the confrontation.
“It got heated up between Toni and Kepa,” Tuchel spoke in his pre-match press conference.
“We calmed the situation down immediately. These are things we don’t want to accept, but they can happen. They are all competitors and want to win training matches.
“The [initial] reaction was not OK. But the reaction to it, how the guys handled the situation, was amazing and showed how much respect they have for each other. They sorted it out straight after training in a very honest, humble and very direct way.
“Don’t get me wrong, it was serious. Sometimes you have little situations when you look away and let them sort things out. This was not the case. We needed to interfere in this situation so it was serious. How the guys handled the situation was impressive and showed a lot of character.”
The pair collided in training following Chelsea’s loss to West Brom. The ten-men Blues were beaten at Stamford Bridge by the relegation-threatened Baggies. Tuchel’s men had conceded just two goals in his first 14 games in charge but shipped five on the night. The loss left them in a vulnerable position, and West Ham United took advantage of the same to displace them from the fourth spot in the Premier League table.
Nevertheless, Chelsea have been presented with a chance to bounce back right away. The Blues will be taking on Porto in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday, April 7. The two teams will travel to Seville to play the game in a neutral venue, but Chelsea are the designated ‘away’ side for the first leg.
The Blues have already visited Seville once this season during the Champions League group stage. They beat Sevilla 4-0 on the night, with Olivier Giroud scoring a remarkable quadruple. The Frenchman scored a perfect hat-trick and then a penalty to help his team onto a memorable win.
However, things have changed since then. Following the win against Sevilla, Chelsea embarked on a dreadful run, which resulted in the club parting ways with Frank Lampard. Thomas Tuchel was appointed as the head coach of the senior team in January 2021 and led the side to fourteen unbeaten games across all competitions.
Chelsea’s incredible run featured wins against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League round-of-16. The Blues won 1-0 in the first leg, as Giroud scored an astonishing overhead kick. They then beat the Rojiblancos 2-0 at Stamford Bridge to secure their progression to the next round. Hakim Ziyech and Emerson Palmieri were the goalscorers on that night.
They now face a Porto side which beat Juventus in the previous round. The Dragoes registered a memorable aggregate win over their much-stronger opponents. They beat the Bianconeri 2-1 in the first leg, lost 3-2 in the second leg, and secured their progression to the quarter-finals based on the away goals rule.
