What did Tuchel say?
Tuchel was asked about if he was worried or pleased with his players going on international duties and the German replied, “Of course both.”
“We are happy on one side for players to get minutes with their nations. They are proud to represent their countries, they are the best players to be nominated to play and I totally understand the emotion that comes with that.
“On the other side, we would love to rest certain players and keep them with us at Cobham rather than going away with their countries so we can work with them.
“We would like to use the break to give the players a few days off, to disconnect and relax before returning again after a short period ready to work hard.
“The guys who are returning from injury, we would like to take care of them but sometimes it is like this and if they can go away with their nations and get some minutes, then maybe this is good.
“We take into consideration where players will travel to and how much they will play when we plan out the schedules. This is definitely the case with players such as N’Golo and Christian.
“In the past few weeks, they’ve more or less just been with us every day working on returning to fitness but they are free to go away with their national teams and hopefully they will get the minutes to elevate them onto a higher level when they come back.
“It’s a careful balance because while we hope that happens, we are also hoping that they do not get injured. Not just for N’Golo and Christian, but all our international players. We have no control over it so yes, I’m always a little frightened of players going away.”
Chelsea’s fixtures post international break
[league 8] leaders, Chelsea are having a tremendous season under [coach 523937]. After winning the [league 2] last season, they have continued their momentum and are a serious contender for the League this season. With half of November almost over, [team 18] are leading the Premier League with the nearest challenger 3 points behind.
Despite injuries to key players, the blues have kept going and have picked up important results. Fitness issues of [player 995], [player 32438] and [player 1193] are a worry for Tuchel due to their significance in the squad. However, for all those injuries to key players, the German coach has done a brilliant job in getting the best out of his players.
Post international break, Chelsea will enter a key period. They face a [team 42] side that is going through a rough patch but have a manager and a group of players who have the potential to upset the odds. Also, Chelsea lost to [coach 896460]’s side in the [league 24] final last season.
With [team 9] and [team 8] looking to overtake the leaders, Chelsea cannot slip up. Following Leicester City, the blues will face [team 14]. [team 25] will be next before another huge game at the London Stadium against the in-form [team 1] side.
The next few games after the international break are going to be significant. There is a chance this period could result in a few dropped points for Chelsea.
During these games, Tuchel will have to make sure they don’t slip up. They will also play a big game against [team 625] in the Champions League four days before facing Man United. The fixture congestion could cause more injury trouble.
Chelsea are about to enter a period of a few weeks where Tuchel’s decision making will have to be spot on. With the gap at the top very close so far, slipping up this season could be costly.
Author: Devashish Akolekar
