LONDON: A pre-match virtual team talk might not be the last time Chelsea’s players get instructions from absent manager Thomas Tuchel in their semifinal match at the Club World Cup on Wednesday.
Tuchel tested positive for the coronavirus last week and was unable to fly to the United Arab Emirates on Saturday night with the squad. He will definitely miss the match against Asian champion Al Hilal but is hopeful of getting out for either the final or the third-place playoff, both of which take place on Saturday.
Tuchel’s assistants, Arno Michels and Zsolt Low, will lead the team against Al Hilal at the Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium.
“We’re constantly in contact with Thomas,” said Low, the first-team coach. “We have a lot of meetings together and we’re video-calling all the time, many times in the day. We record training and send that to him, we change ideas a lot of times in the day.”
Tuchel plans to address the team via video link likely before the squad leaves the hotel for the match.
“It might be more difficult at the stadium,” Low said.
Tuchel will have his say during the match, too.
“Also during the game,” Low said, “we can be in contact with him, on what he sees and what he wants us to do.”
“We have a very, very well structured club at Chelsea, with a lot of support for everybody. And (technical director) Petr Cech, for example, has supported us amazingly well in Thomas’ absence. We have very good team management, with a lot of support as coaching staff to overcome this situation.”
Low will not be attempting to mimic Tuchel’s lively touchline demeanor.
“You can’t copy Thomas — he’s one of the best coaches in the whole world,” Low said. “That’s why you have to share the training and coaching, and do different roles.
“And on the sideline, also ... we’ll swap over between myself and my colleague Arno Michels, to try to push the team forward. And change all the time if somebody sees something or has a good opinion they can communicate it during the game or at halftime.”
First-choice goalkeeper Edouard Mendy is also yet to link up with the Chelsea squad after helping Senegal win the African Cup of Nations on Sunday.
Mendy was due to arrive in Abu Dhabi either Tuesday or Wednesday, with Chelsea waiting until then to make a final decision on the starting goalkeeper.
The likelihood remains that Kepa Arrizabalaga will start against Al Hilal.
Absent Tuchel will still influence Chelsea at Club World Cup
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Absent Tuchel will still influence Chelsea at Club World Cup
- Tuchel tested positive for the coronavirus last week and was unable to fly to the UAE
- He is hopeful of getting out for either the final or the third-place playoff, both of which take place on Saturday
Rampant Sabalenka sweeps past Jovic into Australian Open semifinals
MELBOURNE: Relentless top seed Aryna Sabalenka muscled past American teenager Iva Jovic and into the Australian Open semifinals Tuesday to accelerate her bid for a third Melbourne title.
The Belarusian powered home 6-3, 6-0 in blazing heat to set up a clash with either third seed Coco Gauff or 12th seed Elina Svitolina.
It booked the 27-year-old a 14th career Grand Slam semifinal and fourth in a row at the season-opening major.
Sabalenka has won twice in Melbourne, in 2023 and 2024, and seemed destined for another crown last year but was upset in the final by Madison Keys.
Keys’ title defense is over, beaten in the fourth round by Jessica Pegula.
“These teenagers have been testing me in the last couple of rounds,” said Sabalenka, who is on a 10-match win streak after victory at the lead-up Brisbane International.
“It was a tough match. Don’t look at the score, it wasn’t easy at all. She played incredible tennis. Pushed me to to one step better level. And I’m super happy with the win.”
The match was played under an open roof on Rod Laver Arena with the tournament Heat Stress Scale yet to reach the level where it could be closed.
Temperatures are forecast to hit a blistering 45C with a peak of 38C reached during the match.
Defeat brought an end to a breakthrough tournament for 18-year-old Jovic, the youngest player in the women’s top 100 and seeded 29.
She stunned seventh seed and two-time Slam finalist Jasmine Paolini and blitzed past experienced Yulia Putintseva for the loss of just one game to announce herself to the world.
But Sabalenka was a bridge too far.
The world number one safely held serve to lay down a marker, blasting an ace to set up game point and an unreturnable serve to win it.
Jovic made some early errors and sent the ball long on break point to surrender her serve and fall 2-0 behind.
Sabalenka held to pile on the pressure before Jovic fended off a break point on her next serve to get on the scoreboard.
But despite some long rallies as she got into the match and three break points as Sabalenka served for the set, the top seed’s brute force proved too much.
Sabalenka then broke her immediately to assert control of set two and Jovic was spent, with another break for 3-0 then a double fault to slump 5-0 down, signalling the end.
