Fikayo Tomori and Olivier Giroud were given cold shoulder during Chelsea’s Champions League-winning campaign

On Wednesday night time at Stamford Bridge, ex-Chelsea supervisor Thomas Tuchel may have loads to reply for.

Firstly, why do the Blues solely have one Champions League level, having misplaced to Dinamo Zagreb within the opening fixture?

Secondly, why is Olivier Giroud taking part in within the pink and black stripes of AC Milan?

Thirdly, and most significantly, what on earth is Fikayo Tomori doing alongside him?

Tuchel, sacked after the defeat to Zagreb and changed by Graham Potter, will be forgiven for many issues.

That’s as a result of he delivered Champions League success in 2021, simply 5 months into the job.

However selections made throughout that run to glory may come again to haunt Chelsea on Wednesday night as two of their former gamers return.

Tuchel made it fairly clear that veteran striker Giroud and younger defender Tomori weren’t a part of his plans.

Tomori had misplaced his means after breaking into the Chelsea beginning XI below Frank Lampard the earlier marketing campaign.

He was instantly loaned out to AC Milan in January 2021, watching on from Italy as his boyhood membership gained the Champions League with out him.

Giroud, in the meantime, had a better view, however was an onlooker nonetheless.

The Frenchman was barely utilized by Tuchel and even struggled to make various his matchday squads.

However quick ahead 17 months – and it’s Giroud and Tomori who arrive at Stamford Bridge as champions.

The previous Chelsea pair have been instrumental as Milan gained the Serie A title throughout the 2021/22 marketing campaign.

As Tuchel bemoaned a scarcity of choices up entrance and on the again, Giroud bagged 11 objectives in 29 matches, whereas Tomori starred in certainly one of Europe’s tightest defences.

Giroud’s exit was comprehensible. The 36-year-old is constructed for a sure sort of philosophy – and never one shared by Tuchel.

Nonetheless, many Chelsea followers nonetheless rue the loss of Tomori.

It got here throughout a summer season when the Blues additionally shipped out Kurt Zouma and Marc Guehi.

The next 12 months, they’d lose Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen.

Instantly, the Blues discovered themselves one Thiago Silva harm away from oblivion, earlier than spalshing greater than £100million on Kalidou Koulibaly and Wesley Fofana.

This anxious and costly endeavour was bewildering given the membership spent 16 years nurturing Tomori, selecting him up on the age of eight.

He’ll return to Stamford Bridge with a degree to show – however it’s one that almost all Blues followers know already.

Chelsea have wasted time and expertise through the years – and Tomori might be the hardest capsule to swallow.