premier league
“No fistfight”: Tuchel and Conte downplay Zoff
Thomas Tuchel (middle r) and Antonio Conte (middle l) both see red for this action. photo
© Paul Terry/CSM via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
The city derby between Chelsea FC and Tottenham Hotspur will be remembered for a long time. The coaches Tuchel and Conte try to take the edge off their argument. But a ban is imminent.
When all the pent-up adrenaline had been used up and tempers had calmed down a bit, Thomas Tuchel and Antonio Conte were even able to laugh about their hearty Zoff.
“Yes!”, the German Chelsea coach replied with a grin at the press conference when asked if he enjoyed the tangible argument with his fellow Tottenham Hotspur coach: “I think you liked it too. It wasn’t bad, folks ! Nothing bad.” No one was offended or injured: “We didn’t have a fist fight or anything. It’s not a big deal for me.”
Everything half as wild?
And Conte? With humor, the Italian took the edge off the scuffle on the sidelines, which had set the spectacular finale in the gripping 2-2 (1-0) in the London derby of the Premiere League on Sunday. That night he posted a video on Instagram in which Tuchel ran past him, cheering wildly, and wrote: “Luckily I didn’t see you. It would have been well deserved to trip you up.” The three laughing smileys behind the comment should probably express: Everything is half as wild!
“Next time we’ll just not shake hands anymore,” Conte also suggested: “That would have solved the problem.” The trigger for the tumult was the obligatory shake hands after the final whistle. At first, Tuchel didn’t let go of Conte, which he didn’t like at all. Suddenly, like two madmen, they stood face to face, yelled at each other and could only be separated with difficulty. As a consequence, there was red for the brawlers, they are threatened with a ban.
Tuchel: Red cards completely covered
“I thought that you look into each other’s eyes when we shake hands, but he had a different opinion,” explained Tuchel his behavior. He saw the red cards for himself and Conte as completely excessive. Otherwise, the former Bundesliga coach did not spare criticism of referee Anthony Taylor and the video referee (VAR).
“Since when can you pull players’ hair?” Said the 48-year-old, referring to a scene between Spurs defender Cristian Romero and Blues professional Marc Cucurella. If the VAR doesn’t intervene here, “we won’t have to check anything in the future. That’s ridiculous,” the Chelsea coach railed. It would be “perhaps better” if Taylor no longer directed a Blues game: “I can assure you that the whole cabin thinks so.”
According to media reports, the English association FA also wants to investigate because of its criticism of the team of referees. Spurs striker Harry Kane, who had scored the 2-2 equalizer in the sixth minute of added time, would not understand a suspension because of the coaching dispute. “It’s an emotional game, both teams wanted to win,” said the England captain. “But sometimes that happens.”
Tuchel exemplifies passion
The tabloid “Sun” called the scuffle between the two coaches a “London brawl” and described the events surrounding the heated city derby as “Battle of the Bridge II”. This is a nod to the 2016 clash when Tottenham’s title dreams were dashed at Stamford Bridge.
This time, Tuchel was the main actor, and it was not the first time that emotions boiled over in the Swabians. In his private life, Tuchel is considered a reserved ascetic, but in the game he exemplifies dedication and passion for his team. He can freak out, especially when he thinks he makes a wrong decision, and there are always arguments with referees and opposing coaches. Tuchel also often messes with reporters. Like at a press conference in March, when he snapped harshly at journalists after a question about the war in Ukraine: “You have to stop asking me these questions!”
Last January, before a game against Tottenham, he said with coach Conte that in such heated duels you “always need a good mix of emotions and a cool head”. But he didn’t follow his own advice on this memorable Sunday.