Thomas Tuchel has just spoken to the media ahead of the game against Aston Villa, and he was asked about the challenges of his team selection today.
He had some positive news – N’Golo Kante was not only starting, he’s also expected to be fit to finish the game too. Touch wood. Having him in a midfield two with Jorginho again will be a huge boost for this team.
Thomas Tuchel on N'Golo Kante:
"It was clear before, it's why we only played him in 20 minutes vs Brentford. Before he played 90 in Wolverhampton. It was an obvious choice. We manage him to play today."https://t.co/0SBKiQxR0k
— Absolute Chelsea (@AbsoluteChelsea) December 26, 2021
Tuchel to SkySports on Lukaku's bench role vs Villa: "90 minutes is simply impossible after just coming back from Covid. We decided to have him on the end on the pitch." #CFC #AVLCHE
— Nizaar Kinsella (@NizaarKinsella) December 26, 2021
Romelu Lukaku on the other hand, sees his struggle continue. After coming back from injury he was instantly wiped out with a positive Covid test.
Clearly that’s been a setback, as Tuchel claims he wouldn’t be able to play a full game today. That means another Christian Pulisic false 9 game – not something that’s worked too well since it’s been forced on us.
It’s not Romelu’s fault, but his first season back at Chelsea is in danger of turning into a total washout.
