Thomas Tuchel admits that Chelsea were lucky to win against Watford but reserved special praise for Kai Havertz
Speaking to Amazon Prime Video (h/t The Mirror), Thomas Tuchel revealed that Chelsea were lucky to get away with a victory against Watford and praised Kai Havertz for ‘reaching his level.”
The Blues had a chaotic outing at Vicarage Road. We were dominated for the opening minutes before a fan had to be hospitalized, leading to an emergency break. Our men scored soon after the break, only for Watford to equalizer before the half-time whistle.
Hakim Ziyech sealed the winner in the second half, as Tuchel got his substitutions right. However, it was a dismal performance, and the German boss laid into his stars after the game and claimed it was a lucky victory.
“That is not us. We were absolutely not ready today for this match. I missed maybe to find the right approach to make my team ready…We did not cope with the pressure, with the first ball, second ball…It was a lucky win.”
But Tuchel reserved special praise for his fellow countryman, Havertz, after his tireless running and attacking intent throughout the game.
“Havertz was very strong today. I felt he was the one player reaching his level today.”
The gaffer, however, was unhappy from the 1st minute of the game. Mason Mount told Amazon Prime Video (h/t football.london) that Tuchel got into them during the emergency break.
“He(Tuchel) said some firm words to us in the dressing room, and it got us going. We know that as a group, but obviously, he said it. As individuals, as leaders in the group, we knew we did not start enough.”
Wakeup call?
The Blues got away with murder, and that was clear to every fan in the stadium. One decision here or there would have resulted in the failure of picking up three points. But in the end, it showed how poor we are without our first-team stars.
Saul Niguez looks severely off the paces, and one would wonder when Tuchel hands him another opportunity after being substituted for a second consecutive league game at half-time. But the German manager was right to credit Havertz.
The centre-forward did not look as comfortable last month, but the manager never gave up on him. He reiterated that the striker will come good, and the former Bayer Leverkusen man came through on Wednesday, as he ran the hard yards and was always a threat to the Hornets.
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There are a lot of concerns to ponder over going into the weekend fixture against West Ham. Man City and Liverpool are not letting up, and we cannot afford to take our foot off the gas again because the Hammers might make us pay for our mistakes, something Watford almost did.