Thomas Tuchel has admitted that Chelsea will be tested by the heat as they face Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday in the Premier League.
Both teams go into the match off the back of opening day wins, with Chelsea beating Everton at Goodison Park while Tottenham came out 4-1 victors at home to Southampton.
Jorginho’s penalty was enough to get Chelsea off to a winning start in the 2022/23 season despite a turbulent pre-season.
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They will now look to build on victory at Goodison Park, a stadium where they have previously struggled for results.
With temperatures set to reach up to 32 degrees on Sunday, Tuchel has admitted that the heat has affected Chelsea’s preparations for the match.,
Speaking to the press ahead of the clash, Tuchel admitted: “This is quite demanding. Was demanding today (in training).
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“It’s a huge difference from yesterday to today in terms of the heat. It will increase until tomorrow. We adapted our training session times to early mornings.”
The German continued to reveal that the match will be a challenging one as they face Spurs on Sunday afternoon in the heat.
“In a stadium it can feel even worse. (Sunday) at 4:30pm it will be quite challenging,” he said. “I don’t know if it is already agreed but hopefully there will be a pause for drinking.
“We have some patterns implemented already to cool the body temperature down to improve the situation as much as possible but it will be draining.”
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Tuchel concluded his press conference by discussing whether the weather could affect his team selection as it was hinted that older players could suffer more in the conditions.
However, the Blues boss sent a message to his team stating that those who are willing to play through the pain could hold an advantage.
He finalised: “It is demanding. It is more demanding, we see clearly from the data.
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“The same training exercise in different conditions has very different output and effect on how you feel.
"It is maybe also a matter of how much you want it and accept it because it will feel at times very difficult and draining.
“It is also a question of who has the ability, the will to play through the pain. I’m not there yet that it influences my starting XI from the weather forecast but we accept the fact that this kind of heat has a physical effect on the players, of course."
The London derby will provide Tuchel with the insight into his team and where they could fare this season as both Tottenham and Chelsea will be looking to challenge at the top end of the Premier League once more after finishing in the top four last season ahead of Arsenal.
Topics: Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Premier League, Thomas Tuchel, Football
Nick Emms