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Thomas Tuchel revealed Frank Lampard sent him a message of good luck to him following his appointment as Chelsea boss.
Lampard was earlier this week sacked by the Blues after just 18 months in charge and was swiftly replaced by Tuchel.
There was no hard feeling from the club legend, though, to the man who took over his job.
Tuchel paid tribute to Lampard and expressed his hope that the club’s fan base would throw their support behind him now he is at the helm.
“A fan backlash? I don’t know, I hope not because that would be hard on the team,” said Tuchel.
“Because we need our supporters, like any team, and in a stadium like ours, like Chelsea, to have the fans so close and so close behind the team makes absolutely the difference.
“I can absolutely assume it’s a big, big disappointment for the fan base to see that Frank was sacked.
“I can only repeat I have the biggest respect, I was a huge fan of Frank as a player, it was a huge joy to watch him play and to see how he played.
“He was one of the key figures to demonstrate in 90 minutes what Chelsea was about, intensity, devotion, winning mentality.
“And so I have the biggest respect for him personally and for his legacy.
“It just got bigger when I received a personal message today to wish me all the best and maybe to meet in the future when this is possible.
“So honestly nothing has changed there.
“But in the last 72 hours the club made clear to me this is clearly not my fault and I cannot change the situation for him.
“The decision was made and I was handed the opportunity, but I totally mean what I say about Frank.”
There will be question marks over the use of some of Chelsea’s academy players who shined under Lampard, particularly last season.
Mason Mount was a favourite having played under him at Derby and the Blues but was benched for the 0-0 draw with Wolves.
Billy Gilmour was on the cusp of breaking through but a new regime may hinder his progress in west London.
Tuchel added: “I wanted to take the weight off their shoulders. I wanted to give the responsibility in this special moment to a bit more experienced players and have them on hand.
“There is nothing to worry about, I like what I see from Mason so far. Such a nice and competitive guy.
“Every game I have seen so far, Mason cares for Chelsea, 100 per cent. This is the best basis for a big development. I am very happy to have him around, I will not stop pushing him and guiding him.
“For Billy, I have a good impression. He is a very strategic guy, very high level of game understanding, good in the first contact, clever positioning. We will see if he has the physical level. But he is super quick with his feet.”
Tuchel was also asked about the best position of France World Cup winner N’Golo Kante.
Kante was used in a more advanced position under Maurizio Sarri but returned to his natural defensive role during Lampard’s tenure.
“I think he is strongest as a double six,” finished Tuchel. “We can use his energy and use his range, volume in his game, his ability to recuperate and recover balls everywhere on the pitch.
“He is a guy who is a big, big helper for everybody with the potential of a helper, a water carrier but a world class player.”
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