Chelsea star Edouard Mendy in action against Manchester United.
Speaking ahead of the game against Watford (h/t football.london), Thomas Tuchel revealed that Chelsea duo Hakim Ziyech and Edouard Mendy are likely to be available for the Club World Cup despite their duties at the AFCON.
The Blues are facing a compact fixture schedule in December. However, it does not get any easier in the following months. After a tightly wrapped January, we have the Club World Cup to worry about in February. The West London club shall play their games between the 3rd and 12th of February.
The availability of Hakim Ziyech and Edouard Mendy for the tournament is a doubt due to their national duties. The AFCON is set to begin in January and the Moroccan playmaker and Senegalese shot-stopper will look to guide their respective nations towards the title.
Thomas Tuchel has revealed that both of his stars are likely to be back for the Club World Cup even if they reach the AFCON final.
“Mendy and Hakim will be back as I understand it, even if they reach the final. It is in February, we still have December and January to play. I do not break my head about it. My focus is on Watford, my team selection and rotation.”
It is no secret that Mendy is one of the first names on the team sheet. The 29-year-old’s brilliance between the posts cannot be understated this season, let alone his standout performance against Brentford in October.
Kepa Arrizabalaga has turned into an able deputy but putting an entire tournament in his hands seems risky. Similarly, Ziyech has become one of our more hard-working attackers in recent weeks.
The intensity seemed to drop on the weekend against Man United, but the 28-year-old did not drop a beat until the full-time whistle. He also scored in the UEFA Super Cup final, indicating his eye for goal in big games. We do have the attacking might to win things without him, but Tuchel would use all the help he gets.
Thus, it would be great to have both of them back for the tournament. The Blues missed out on the trophy in 2012 after losing to Corinthians in the final. It would be marvellous for us to add the Club World Cup title to our cabinet, especially after being recently named as the Club of the Year by France Football.
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