Thomas Tuchel has penned his first matchday programme notes for today's match against Burnley and had a message for the Chelsea fans, as well as giving his first impressions from his opening week with the Blues.
The programme notes have long been a key way for managers in England to communicate with the club's supporters and our new head coach will be no different, writing his first personal message to the fans for today's matchday programme.
The programme for the Burnley game also includes an exclusive interview with Thiago Silva, who opens up on his relationships with both Tuchel and Frank Lampard, and you can order your copy here.
Tuchel begins his programme notes by thanking all those at the club who have helped make his arrival go so smoothly, as well as explaining why he jumped at the chance to come to Chelsea.
'It has been an amazing first few days for me at Chelsea. First of all, thank you to all the people at the club who gave my staff and I such a friendly welcome, and supported us from the moment we arrived with data, with information and with help.
'The players were immediately open to us introducing our ideas, so that we were even able to do one intense training session before our first game together against Wolves on Wednesday night. We have worked on our tactical approach and the players have been very open in the meetings that we’ve held to prepare for the matches – this is all you can ask for as a coach.
'It has been an incredible period of time for me, personally. Things happened very quickly for me at the start of this week, with this opportunity to come to a different club, in a different country, but from the first moment of contact from Chelsea, I had the feeling that I did not want to miss this possibility to coach a club like this, in the biggest league.
'I wanted to take this challenge for many reasons, one of which was the mix of personalities, experience and young talents, who are hungry to earn their titles here at Chelsea. This is a combination that is very, very exciting for me and my staff, so we did not want to miss this chance.'
He also reflected on his first game as Chelsea head coach, the 0-0 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers, which came just 24 hours after his first training session with the team.
'The opportunity we have here really struck me when I was stood on the sidelines at the start of the game on Wednesday night. I was totally sucked into the match because the players showed such a great attitude from the start. It was a pity that we did not have any supporters in the stadium to push us further and further, but I was very happy with the performance, with the energy, the intensity and the quality that we showed.
'Afterwards it was important for us to analyse the game together, using the data and the videos of the game, so we could show the team exactly what they did, and not just rely on the feeling they had afterwards. Maybe they were disappointed with the result immediately after the game, but we quickly showed them the good things, the bad things, and took care over the details, so we can improve and hopefully play with the same intensity again today against Burnley.
'Now is the time for us to start growing and improving together. If we keep doing that, we will be a very hard team to play against.'
Tuchel ended with a personal message to the Chelsea supporters, who he can't wait to meet at Stamford Bridge once fans are able to return to stadiums.
'Finally, I want to tell the fans at home that, without you here at Stamford Bridge, it is not even half the experience it should be. I cannot wait for the chance to stand on the side of the pitch with a full stadium of Chelsea supporters getting behind the team.'