Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel says he must take risks with his players. The English club has had to deal with a wave of corona infections within the selection in recent weeks and the players are now coming back one by one.
The games follow each other quickly around the holidays and so with a thinned selection Tuchel sometimes has to let players play longer than is actually medically justified. “I am concerned about the health and safety of the players,” said the German coach after the Premier League victory over Aston Villa (1-3).
Tuchel confessed to taking risks with Romelu Lukaku and Callum Hudson-Odoi, who were both absent in recent weeks due to contracting the coronavirus. Hudson-Odoi played the entire match in Birmingham against Villa, Lukaku came in after the break. On a pass from Hudson-Odoi, the Belgian signed for the 1-2 in the 56th minute.
This whole situation is very difficult and challenging
,,Romelu played 45 minutes, which was more than the medical staff had recommended. But we thought we could take a risk with him. I’m glad it went well,” said Tuchel, who praised Hudson-Odoi’s game. ,,Normally he could have played a half or a maximum of sixty minutes. But Hakim Ziyech had only practiced once and Callum had practiced two and a half, so we more or less forced him to play. He did that brilliantly. But we did take a risk with him.”
Defender Thiago Silva and midfielder N’Golo Kanté were injured. According to Tuchel, the chance is small that they can play against Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday. “This whole situation is very difficult and challenging.”
Watch our Premier League videos below.
Free unlimited access to Showbytes? Which can!
Log in or create an account and never miss a thing from the stars.
#Medical #risks #players #Chelsea #concerned #health #safety