Ben Chilwell reveals he has had to be patient to earn his chance at Chelsea this season
Speaking to the official Chelsea website (h/t Metro), Ben Chilwell has opened up about playing a limited role at the start of the season.
The 24-year-old full-back made his £45million move from Leicester City to Chelsea last season after Frank Lampard shelled out the money to assemble his side. The Englishman immediately became a mainstay under his fellow countryman.
Things did not change when Thomas Tuchel came in either. Although Marcos Alonso was given his fair shot, Chilwell played as the starting full-back on the left-hand side and even went on to score Chelsea’s 2nd goal against Porto in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final.
However, due to Marcos Alonso’s fine start to the season this term, Chilwell has not managed a lot of game-time. The Englishman made his first league start against Southampton on the weekend and also scored a brilliant volley at the end of the game.
The 24-year-old talked about his limited role at the start of the season in an interview with the official website of Chelsea (h/t Metro).
‘I wouldn’t say it’s been frustrating. It’s about being patient, training hard. Marcos has been playing well, and I have had to respect that. I’ve been training hard to make sure when I get my chance, I’m ready.
‘I felt fine on Saturday fitness-wise. I’ve been training hard and making sure my fitness is 100 percent, so when I did have the opportunity to play, I was fine to play 90 and make sure I could make the same runs in the 90th minute as I did in the first minute.’
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The Blues are set to encounter seven games in the space of 21 days between the 16th of October and the 6th of November. Thus, Chilwell’s return to form has been a timely one, and Tuchel will be hoping the Englishman can maintain the same levels as he did this weekend.