Inter Milan want to sign Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah in the summer. (imago Images)
Speaking in the post-match interview, as quoted by Football.London, Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has revealed that the absence of Trevoh Chalobah against Brentford was a ‘selection decision’.
Chelsea suffered a 1-4 defeat against the Bees last night in the Premier League as they saw their faint hopes for an unlikely late title push completely squashed. The result did not affect our position in the table but with Arsenal breathing down our necks, Tuchel’s team will want to secure their Champions League spot soon.
The German deviated from the usual last night as he chose to play with two centre-backs instead of the usual three and it’s safe to say that the decision did not pay off. Brentford managed to get four goals past a usually water-tight Blues defence as Thiago Silva and Antonio Rudiger did not cover themselves in glory when it came to the defending aspect.
Chelsea initially took the lead in the tie as Rudiger’s long-range effort found its way into the net spectacularly and seemed comfortable leading 1-0. After that, though, all hell broke loose with the Bees tearing apart our defence to put four past Edouardo Mendy.
One player who was a surprise exclusion from the squad was Chelsea centre-back Trevoh Chalobah, and after the game, Tuchel confirmed that it was a tactical decision and not an injury concern.
“Just selection. We decided to play with a back four and we chose our four central defenders.”
Ever since Tuchel joined Chelsea midway through last season, he has preferred to play with a back three on a majority of occasions and it has worked wonders for the London-based club.
Thiago Silva looked every bit the 37-year-old centre-back that may be on the wane when it comes to the physical aspects of his game. That is natural, of course, for someone with the longevity of the ex-AC Milan superstar. N’Golo Kante wasn’t at his best as well, especially when he left Christian Eriksen free to slot in Brentford’s second.
The absence of Chalobah though was surprising, to say the least, because the 22-year-old has been a revelation at Stamford Bridge this season.
From being a player in Chelsea’s loan army, Chalobah has stuck around and gone on to become a vital cog in Tuchel’s system. The Blues have a clash against Spanish behemoths Real Madrid midweek in the Champions League and it is likely that Tuchel reverts to a back three and Chalobah finds himself at least in the squad if not the starting 11.
If it was really a selection decision, then it can point towards the German wanting to manage the game time for his star players. Perhaps, the Englishman was being rested for the clash against Los Blancos. Chelsea also have an FA Cup semi-final this month against Crystal Palace.
At a similar time last season, the Blues got battered 2-5 by West Brom but that did not deter them as they went on to win the Champions League. Chelsea will be hoping that the 1-4 annihilation to the Bees is just another blip and will spur them on to yet another Champions League and maybe an FA Cup too.
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