Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel joins the team in Abu Dhabi

Thomas Tuchel tested positive for Coronavirus shortly before kickoff against Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup last weekend. The Chelsea boss was sent into isolation in the English capital, which meant he had to manage the 120-minute nail-bitter from his home. He was luckily able to relay his decisions to stand-in manager Arno Michels and his staff in relatively quick succession. Nevertheless, it was not the same without the animated, lovable gaffer on the touchline.

This didn’t matter much in the short-term. Tuchel’s presence didn’t make or break the Blues’ result against the Pilgrims, nor should it have had the opportunity to have that big of an impact. However, it was always going to be a race against the clock as it related to the FIFA Club World Cup. While his team boarded a plane for the United Arab Emirates following the nerve-racking win over the League One opponent, Tuchel remained in London where he would play the waiting game. He watched from his home once again as his side narrowly defeated AFC Champions League winner Al Hilal in the semifinal. Chelsea was now scheduled to play its most important match of the season against Palmeiras in the final and there was still no word on whether its fearless leader would be physically present or not. Thankfully, that question was answered on Friday night.

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has joined the team in Abu Dhabi ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup final on Saturday against Palmeiras

Tuchel landed in Abu Dhabi on Friday evening and he joined up with his players at the Chelsea team hotel shortly afterward. He will still need to produce a negative Coronavirus test in the UAE before stepping foot on the sideline, but the fact he’s made it into the country is a huge positive on its own. The club reportedly had a plan in place prior to the German testing negative in London in order to get him to Abu Dhabi as quickly as possible. While an arrival at 8 p.m. the night before a kickoff doesn’t seem like enough time to truly affect preparations, it makes an impact when the team has only had two days in total to prepare for Palmeiras.

The Blues’ manager will have a handful of important decisions to make ahead of the contest.

Amongst those questions is that of a formational change. Chelsea played a 4-1-4-1 shape against Tottenham and Plymouth, but elected to change things up against Al Hilal. This could’ve been due to the absence of Mason Mount in the starting XI, who looks likely to be given the green light at the weekend after a 20-minute cameo in the semifinal. Furthermore, it was revealed by first team coach Zsolt Low during the pre-Palmeiras press conference that the staff was still making a decision on who will start in goal. Kepa Arrizabalaga won Man of the Match midweek, whereas Edouard Mendy took home the African Cup of Nation’s Best Goalkeeper award for his efforts with Senegal over the last month. The decision will be made in the coming hours with Tuchel now present in-person to deliver the verdict.

Chelsea is going to have its hands full on Saturday with Palmeiras. The Brazilian side has won two consecutive Copa Libertadores trophies, so it cannot be taken lightly. Palmeiras also had an extra day to rest and prepare for Saturday’s final. It—much like the Blues—is looking to avenge a poor performance in past tournaments, notably last season’s fourth place failure. Chelsea will need every bit of help it can get in order to lift the Club World Cup trophy on Saturday night. The presence of a serial winner in Tuchel may just be that added motivation that is required.

Do you think Tuchel’s presence will impact the team’s result? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or on Twitter!