Firm but fair: Chelsea boss insists he’s not the police

As Chelsea prepare to meet Leeds United in the Premier League, the Blues manager Thomas Tuchel insisted that he is not the police and that he trusts his staff to be professional and do the basic things without him overseeing it.

Tuchel’s predecessor Frank Lampard attempted to force discipline onto the squad using eye-watering fines. Under the previous regime, any player arriving late to training would be fined around $28,000. Making players respect their team-mates and the club under financial fines threat obviously didn’t work well for the Blues’ former player. The German coach doesn’t want to treat the players as teenagers who need discipline.

"I have no complaints - everybody has been on time, nobody was ever late for a meeting or out on the pitch,' he said. 'If a player arrives at 10.01 or 9.59 I am not the police. I won't be hanging around the window checking the time and I expect my players to take care of that."

Even though he’s not trying to make the players pay for every minute of being late – Tuchel still demands his team to follow instructions and not be too relaxed. Recently he berated Timo Werner during the match against Everton for not complying with his tactical plans. The way in which the Chelsea boss chastised his star player raised a few eyebrows but last season’s Champions League finalist insists that he’s actually calmer during games than he’s been in the past.

"People showed me the video of my talk with Werner. There was no insult, it was not aggressive. It was very direct, yes... you should have seen me 10 years ago. I was attacking the fourth official all the time, attacking the referees, everybody on the bench. Nobody was safe. I calmed down a lot since those days."

Newcastle avoids the defeat in the 94th minute

Whichever the approach, nobody can deny that Chelsea have improved considerably since Tuchel’s arrival to Stamford Bridge. Eight wins in eleven games make it for an encouraging start but the games are coming fast and the Blues mustn’t take it easy – especially when they run out at Elland Road against an unpredictable Leeds United side which has been overperforming under Marcelo Bielsa, a manager held in high regard by Tuchel. The Argentine knows his team would have to be on top of their game to have any chance against in-form Blues.

"They’re in a positive dynamic in terms of results and have a clear confidence in how they manage the ball. We’ll have to try to defend well and attack better than they do."

Thiago Silva and Tammy Abraham are set to miss the match for Chelsea, while the hosts have to deal with the absence of Pablo Hernandez, Pascal Struijk and Adam Forshaw.

PREMIER LEAGUE – MATCHDAY 28

Friday

Newcastle United - Aston Villa 1-1 (0-0)

/Lascelles 90+4 – Clark 84 (og)/

Saturday

15.30 Leeds United - Chelsea

18.00 Crystal Palace - West Bromwich Albion

20.30 Everton - Burnley

23.00 Fulham - Manchester City

Sunday

15.00 Southampton - Brighton

17.00 Leicester City - Sheffield United

19.30 Arsenal - Tottenham Hotspur

22.15 Manchester United - West Ham United