Mason Mount and Thomas Tuchel embrace after full-time.
Speaking in a press conference, as quoted by Football.London, Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel explained his decision to choose Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic over Mason Mount in yesterday’s crunch clash vs Manchester City.
Chelsea were already trailing Manchester City by 10 points and a win in yesterday’s game was very important to stay in second position in the league table. Everyone knew the importance of the game, and therefore it came as a big surprise when Thomas Tuchel went with out-of-form Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic over Mason Mount.
The English playmaker has been in fine form for the Blues ever since Tuchel has come in and after impressing under Frank Lampard, he has made himself a regular name in our starting XI.
Chelsea couldn’t get the job done and lost the game vs Pep Guardiola’s team, which might have ended the slightest possibility of us winning the Premier League in this campaign, handing the Citizens a big boost.
In his explanation, Thomas Tuchel suggested that the partnership of the American star and the Moroccan international had more running abilities than Mason, who indeed needed a rest after featuring in a lot of matches lately.
“Everybody is an option, and it’s not easy to choose. We went with the characteristics of players, Kovacic and N’Golo, for example, rather than Jorginho. They’re more dribblers and drivers than passers, and I think it suits that a bit more in midfield. [We picked] Christian and Hakim for their fresh legs and because they’re a bit more runners than, for example, Mason.”
Chelsea started the match guarding their defensive third in the first half, and Tuchel betted on counter-attacks to create chances. Even though Ziyech had some excellent options to take the attack forward, he was more concerned with changing the flank rather than taking the ball into the final third or passing in a short distance.
On the other hand, Pulisic also failed to influence the game, and both of them were substituted in the second half with Mount and Callum Hudson-Odoi taking to the pitch.
With the injury crisis going on, Tuchel can’t risk the fitness of essential players like Mount, and thus. his decision makes sense. However, the inconsistency of backup options suggests that we don’t have the depth to field a strong XI in every game.
The fixture list is only going to get more demanding as time passes, and we must find a way to manage game time for players so that they are readily available in do-or-die games, such as the one against the holding PL champions yesterday.
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