‘Now it’s a league game, they can be champions, they have one more day recovery, so it’s a big challenge for us. But this is why we are here and everybody who will play for Chelsea tomorrow will be completely focused and determined to grab the best result possible at the Etihad.’
Two players who will be on opposing sides tomorrow, Mason Mount and Phil Foden, have both been earning plenty of praise for their performances in the Champions League and Premier League recently, and Tuchel sees similarities in their talent and mentality.
‘They are the outstanding examples at the moment of how good young players can be, and how good young players from England can be,’ he added. ‘I cannot speak for Phil Foden because he’s not my player, but you see clearly the talent and desire and ability to decide any game at any level. So he’s a huge player and he gives me the impression that he is the same nice guy, the same clear character, like Mason.
‘I have spoken about Mason many times. He’s outstanding and he has the full package in terms of mentality, of being humble, of work ethic and of course talent. They are absolutely reliable on the highest level and most importantly they are hungry and humble and they behave exactly how you want players to behave at this age. They want to learn, they want to get better and it seems like they don’t feel the pressure, which is pretty amazing.’
Adblock test