Thomas Tuchel delivers verdict on Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s recent displays for Chelsea
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has provided his latest verdict on the recent displays from his player Ruben Loftus-Cheek. The latter has gained more prominence at Stamford Bridge over the past few weeks, which has finally given him the chance to prove his worth to the boss.
Earlier this month, Tuchel challenged Loftus-Cheek to become more confident in himself and gain belief in his physicality. That was understandable from the boss’ side as the academy graduate had struggled with injuries since being promoted to the first team, and those setbacks had hampered his chances of progressing at the senior level.
Tuchel had set some objectives for Loftus-Cheek to achieve, and now the coach has provided further assessments on the midfielder’s performances. Speaking in the pre-match press conference (h/t Daily Mail Online), the German manager has expressed that the 26-year-old ace needs to push himself even further after analysing his performances against Arsenal and Crystal Palace.
Can Loftus-Cheek deliver the goods?
“He [Loftus-Cheek] needs to push himself to the limit. He had a bit of a shy game like everybody else against Arsenal and not such a good half against Crystal Palace but stepped up in the second half in dribbling and ball recoveries and suddenly the crowd was there.”
Finally, the 48-year-old boss added that the English star could not afford to maintain the current level moving forward. He mentioned that the central midfielder must now raise his effort to build on the promise rather than accepting that the current level is enough. To top it off, Tuchel tells Loftus-Cheek to play every game “like a final”.
“It is not enough to just be on the pitch, it might seem a good first step given his last years but we cannot let him think that is enough. He needs to understand his potential and his physical capacity every day in training, he cannot let loose. He needs to play every match like a final.”
The Blues midfielder has certainly done well overall in recent times when he has been given the opportunities. That being said, he must not let this chance get by him and truly stamp his authority on the team. For that to happen, he must live up to the expectations that Tuchel has set for him.
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Perhaps, there could not be a better time for Loftus-Cheek to make a case for himself. N’Golo Kante and Jorginho have been inconsistent throughout this year, while Mateo Kovacic is out with an injury. Saul Niguez is further down the pecking order, whereas Ross Barkley has been cast aside by Tuchel.
Even Mason Mount has been utilised in the attack, giving more pathways for Loftus-Cheek to cement his case. Things would not always be like this, with Conor Gallagher and Billy Gilmour set to return from their loan spells after this term. As such, we hope to see Loftus-Cheek realise the opportunity and follow the instructions from Tuchel.
