Steven Schumacher: Plymouth Argyle manager's rise from Everton Under-11s to facing Chelsea
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Seven of Steven Schumacher's first nine games as Plymouth Argyle boss have been away from home
"It's mad," Plymouth Argyle manager Steven Schumacher says when he compares himself to opposite number Thomas Tuchel before his side's FA Cup fourth round trip to European champions Chelsea.
"My mate who I worked with at Everton's academy texted me as soon as we beat Birmingham [in round three], and we got the draw on and said 'you've gone from managing Everton's under-11s to the champions of Europe in four years'."
Saturday's FA Cup tie certainly marks a rapid rise for Schumacher, who takes his League One Argyle side to Stamford Bridge in just his 10th game as a manager.
The 37-year-old Liverpudlian stepped up from assistant to become the Pilgrims' boss in early December after his "best friend" Ryan Lowe left to take over at Preston North End.
But he now goes from planning a 3-1 away win at Doncaster Rovers last Saturday to pitting his wits against the man who has just been named the best coach in the world by Fifa.
"It's a bit daunting to be honest," Schumacher tells BBC Sport about going up against Tuchel, who has guided sides to the Champions League final twice - double the number of FA Cup ties Schumacher has managed.
"I'm under no illusions that it's going to be a difficult afternoon, but I just want to embrace it and enjoy it as best as possible.
"I was in St George's Park on my pro licence and immediately went 'yes' when we got Chelsea away and then thought 'oh my God, we're going up against the European champions away from home'," says Schumacher, who watched the draw with Cambridge boss Mark Bonner, whose side won at Newcastle in the third round last month.
"I think all managers would feel that, but you can't be overawed by it, you've got to try and enjoy it, put a plan together for your team and go there and give it your all."
Planning an FA Cup upset
Schumacher has added England's 2017 European Under-19 Championship-winning manager Keith Downing to his coaching staff
So how does a League One side go about setting up a plan that could cause an upset against a side seen as one of the best in Europe, and with internationals as back-up in almost every position?
"It's really hard," Schumacher explains. "Especially for the analysts, we go into the office and say 'come on Jimmy what shape are they playing?'
"'Erm they could play this gaffer, and then they could play this, and if he doesn't play he can play,' so in the end you start laughing," he says of his conversations with Argyle analyst Jimmy Dickinson.
"No matter what shape they play, no matter what personnel they pick, they've got world class players so in the end you've got to come back to 'what are you going to do?'
"We've got to have an organisation and a plan, and we go back to that, and we'll try and stick to it and we'll do our very best."
'I will try to pick his brains'
Thomas Tuchel won the 2021 Champions League final with Chelsea, having lost the 2020 final while Paris Saint Germain manager
Only Ipswich Town's newly appointed boss Kieran McKenna has less senior managerial experience than Schumacher in the top four tiers of English football.
But the former Bury, Bradford and Fleetwood midfielder hopes he is able to get some tips from a Chelsea boss who has spent time at Paris Saint Germain and Borussia Dortmund, managing the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Romelu Lukaku.
"As a young coach and a young manager you look up to people like Thomas Tuchel for his journey that he's come from, from Mainz Under-19s to where he is now, it just proves that it can be done.
"He didn't have the greatest playing career but obviously he's a talented coach, puts the work in and got to the very, very top, so I will definitely try to pick his brains if possible."