Alan Shearer explains the error made by Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel in the FA Cup final
In an interview with BBC (h/t Mirror), Alan Shearer has pointed out the mistakes Thomas Tuchel made in his team selection against Liverpool in the FA Cup final on Saturday. Chelsea lost the Cup in a penalty shootout, giving the Reds a realistic chance of securing the quadruple.
The FA Cup final between the west Londoners and the Merseysiders was a stressful and gruelling affair that lasted 120 minutes. Despite maintaining their cool throughout the game, the Blues were defeated 6-5 in the penalty shootout. This is the second time that Jurgen Klopp’s side have gotten the better of us in a shootout.
On Saturday evening, the Blues lost their third consecutive FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium, with Shearer claiming that Blues manager Thomas Tuchel made a huge mistake with his team selection.
Alan Shearer believes Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel erred by not adding Timo Werner to the competition. He also spoke about how the German forward could have used his speed to exploit the Red’s high defensive line by making runs behind them.
“With Chelsea, Havertz is injured. But I’m surprised Werner’s not playing, because of his pace, because of the high line we know Liverpool play.”
The German international has been unable to find the back of the net regularly for Chelsea. However, he does make good runs and is capable of crafting opportunities for others to score.
“I know he gets offside a lot but it would have been a huge threat for him to be running behind.”
Was there anything Tuchel could do?
When Tuchel replaced Christian Pulisic with Ruben Loftus-Cheek in an attacking position instead of Timo Werner, every Chelsea fan would have felt the same way. The German was clearly the best choice to play a natural forward’s role.
However, Werner ruled himself out of the game after experiencing a hamstring strain during the warm-up, according to the German manager and he wasn’t willing to take the chance. With Kai Havertz already out and Romelu Lukaku inconsistent, Tuchel’s hands were largely tied.
“Then Timo felt uncomfortable in the warm-up and said he could not play. A hamstring as well. We had no options.”
More Chelsea news
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- “No options”- Tuchel reveals why star forward refused to come on vs Liverpool in FA Cup final
This turned out to be very unfortunate for the team as given his speed, witnessing him chase down a tired Ibrahima Konate and Joel Matip would have been enticing. Loftus-Cheek was not as effective in the forward position as former RB Leipzig forward would have impacted the attack if he had been fully fit.
We’re hoping he’ll be back in shape in time for our Premier League match at home. The west Londoners play Leicester City in midweek at Stamford Bridge before facing already-relegated Watford on the final day. The Blues will be looking to put a positive spin on their trophyless season by winning their next two games and securing third place.