Thomas Tuchel has got Chelsea’s players believing a Champions League and FA Cup double is on after transforming the club in the space of two months.
The German has resurrected the season after overseeing a 14-game unbeaten run that has taken his side to the latter stages of each competition and into the Premier League top four.
And despite being drawn against quadruple-chasing Manchester City in the semi-finals of the Cup – and a host of Europe’s giants still being in contention for the Champions League – the confidence is so high at Stamford Bridge that they believe it could be a glorious end to a campaign that was unravelling in January.
Ben Chilwell summed up the mood inside the club, saying: “That’s 100 per cent possible.
“We’re in both competitions, we’re playing very well at the moment and we’re confident.
“It’s not something we’re talking about, at the moment we’re taking it week by week, and the manager has made it clear that is what we need to do.
“We need to keep improving every week in training and going into every match with the same mindset we have been having at the moment.”
Those thoughts are echoed by Christian Pulisic who added: “We definitely have a confident bunch of guys.
“When you go on a streak like this you feel really good. We feel like we can beat anyone so it’s a good feeling right now.”
Tuchel has had a remarkable impact on Chelsea after being parachuted in to save the season.
Roman Abramovich took the unpopular decision to sack Frank Lampard in January, believing there were trophies to be won, despite a run of five defeats in eight league games over Christmas and New Year.
Tuchel was told by chief Marina Granovskaia that he was expected to deliver immediate results after only being handed an 18-month contract.
And he has done precisely that, with Chelsea keeping an incredible 12 clean sheets during their unbeaten run.
They have also equalled a club record seven-straight games without conceding after Sunday’s 2-0 FA Cup win against Sheffield United booked their place at Wembley and a semi-final against City.
Tuchel made it clear to Chelsea’s players when he arrived that he was looking for immediate success – targeting both trophies still on offer.
And he has impressed everyone around the club with the speed in which he has managed to turn them into major contenders to be crowned kings of Europe.
