Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel hails his side for outstanding performance against Tottenham in the Carabao cup first leg.
The Blues defeated Antonio Conte side 2-0 in the first leg of the Carabao cup as Kai Havertz goal and Davies own goal gave Tuchel side an upper hand in the tie.
Speaking to the media after the game Tuchel said: “I liked the game a lot. “This is far from normal, how we performed today against a Tottenham who at the moment are so strong, so compact and so full of confidence. We had two late last minute bits of bad news with Thiago and N’Golo, who were both supposed to start.”
Thomas Tuchel switch back to a back four yesterday and was happy with the focus and commitment of the players.
“So we decided yesterday to maybe switch to a back four and the guys were very open, very committed, very focused, to play like how we played. So it’s good and it’s not fair to demand performances more or less out of nothing, like from Saul, Hakim and Malang. All three were outstanding today and that makes us very happy because it was a very deserved win in a big match against a very strong opponent.
“We could have created a bigger cushion, it was possible, we created a lot. We were very strong because it is so hard to create against Tottenham, which we saw over the last games. Especially in the second half we created a lot, and a lot of big chances to have the third or fourth goal.
“So now as everybody knows this is not decided and we have to arrive in full focus and top shape again because we need another 90 minutes of top quality football if we want to go through to Wembley.”
Romelu Lukaku came back into the starting eleven after been dropped by the German for a comment he made in an interview with Sky Italy.
Tuchel stated that he is happy with the performance of the Belgian and claims he was not surprise as he believes Lukaku can handle pressure.
“I’m happy with his performance,” he said. “I liked how he played. He was strong, he was involved and showed huge commitment in our defensive work, which was important. He was always dangerous, always used his body and was always involved in dangerous situations.
“I expected it honestly because Romelu and handle pressure and can handle adversity. He seemed to be relaxed after the decision was made and we finished our talks and he knew what was going on, I felt him relaxed enough to have a performance like this.”
Another player on Tuchel’s praise list was Saul whose performance was impressive and the German said he is happy for him.
“He is more happy, he is more free in training, I see it every day. He played better when he came on against Wolverhampton and had a good impact. He’s stepping up. I was so happy when I saw him on the sideline when we scored the equaliser against Liverpool because he was totally committed, it was very impressive to see him like this.
“It’s an important moment for him, but I have a feeling like he digested the experiences in the beginning when he maybe did not expect it like this. He’s not the first player to struggle from the switch and what he does is good because he’s open, he’s fully focused and totally committed to the team, so I’m very happy that he had a performance like today, it was a huge step forward.”
Source: Chelsea
