Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel praises the club’s youth academy
Speaking after the FA Cup win against Barnsley (h/t Football.london), Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel called the youth academy the ‘backbone’ of the club and promised to ‘push’ Chelsea youngsters to first-team success.
Chelsea put out a completely changed side against Barnsley in the FA Cup on Thursday. It took a goal created by the club’s academy players to undo the Championship side.
Scottish midfielder Billy Gilmour and English full-back Reece James created the chance for Tammy Abraham to score the game’s only goal in the 64th minute.
And the German boss believes that the academy is the backbone of Chelsea. He mentions that more academy products in the first-team are always better for the club as supporters love that kind of thing.
My belief is it is always the backbone of any club. The more guys that can arrive in the first team the better it is for the club because it is something the supporters love.”
Youth is the way to go
The newly-appointed manager realises that making the grade at a club like Chelsea is always a challenge for the youngsters. Loan spells and competition for starting spots at the club tend to make it tougher.
However, he says that the current crop of academy players in the senior side ‘absolutely want to make it as Chelsea players’. This would include players like Abraham, James, Gilmour and Callum Hudson-Odoi.
Adding to that, he vows to ‘push’ youngsters who seem to be making the effort and showcasing the quality.
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“When we feel the spirit, combined with that talent, we will push them.”
This will be certainly good news for the fans who might have been sceptical of Tuchel’s use of youth since his appointment. He has sided with experience over youth in his first few games in charge. (h/t Daily Mail)