Thomas Tuchel welcomes back three Chelsea stars ahead of crunch clash against West Ham United
Speaking in his pre-match press conference (h/t The Athletic), Thomas Tuchel welcomed back three Chelsea stars from injury ahead of the trip to West Ham United.
The Blues are top of the table and face a crucial London derby on Saturday. The Hammers are in the race for the top dour and are the only team to have defeated Liverpool this season. Thus, it is going to take a well-drilled performance from our side to secure all three points.
The return of Timo Werner, Reece James, and Jorginho is a welcome relief ahead of a taxing schedule for the club. The trio were doubts for the Watford fixture and played no part in the game. But Thomas Tuchel will be happy about having the triumvirate back in contention this weekend.
However, the German also revealed that Ben Chilwell, N’Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic, and Trevoh Chalobah shall be unavailable due to injury.
“I almost need a list. We did not train today with Mateo Kovacic, N’Golo (Kante), Ben Chilwell and Trevoh Chalobah. They are all out for tomorrow. Everyone else is available. Every player is a player too much, but that is a lot of midfield players.
“It has been for many weeks with Kovacic and now N’Golo. And Ben Chilwell is a long one, this is what we know. For Trevoh we need more examinations to see how bad the injury is. They are (James, Jorginho, Werner) available, yes. They are training and available.”
Much-need injury boost
Our performance against Watford was dismal, to say the least. The midfield was non-existent, and the frontline had to work off crumbs to create chances. To add to that, Chalobah picked up an injury. Several things went wrong with that game, but the Hornets failed to make us pay for it.
West Ham are a step-up, and they will punish us for our errors. We will need our best players to step up, and thankfully, James, Werner, and Jorginho are back. The Italian has a good hold over the midfield and can provide control in the centre of the pitch.
The German striker is a valuable option upfront, while the English full-back has been our chief goal threat this season, bagging five goals and assists apiece in 15 appearances. Thus, their presence on the pitch is vital.
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We are in a closely contested title race, and there is no room for mistakes. Man City and Liverpool play after us on Saturday, and we cannot leave anything to chance, given their calibre. The London derbies are always memorable, and Tuchel will be looking to create a happy memory on the weekend.