Thomas Tuchel has asked for ‘trust’ from defender Ben Chilwell, the Englishman having lost his place in the Chelsea starting XI under the new boss.
The 24-year-old had been the undisputed first-choice left-back under previous manager Frank Lampard, following his £50m move from Leicester City in the summer.
However, the arrival of Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea last month saw the previously outcast Marcos Alonso restored to the starting XI, the Spaniard putting in some impressive displays in recent games, including scoring a well-taken goal against Burnley.
Chilwell had been almost certain to start for England at this summer’s European Championship’s, yet losing his place with the Blues, coupled with the form of Luke Shaw, has put his international starting berth in doubt.
The full-back will undoubtedly be frustrated by his current predicament, although Tuchel has asked for patience, the former Paris Saint-Germain boss insisting that he has favoured Alonso as he is more ‘familiar’ with the wing-back role.
“Yes, if he is [worried] I can understand,” Tuchel told reporters ahead of Monday’s clash with Newcastle. “He has had some difficult decisions against him, where they were tight choices.
“I took the choice for Marcos [Alonso] where we played with a five because he was more familiar with the position. He played there under Antonio Conte and we opted for Marcos against Burnley for his strengths in the air for headers to defend and attack set-pieces.
“Marcos had a really good match where he scored a decisive goal and from there it was hard to come back for Tottenham. We didn’t make changes in this position. I spoke to him before the Tottenham match and said you have to trust me now that I see your talent and potential.
“I see also with Chilly a very nice guy, reflective guy and an intelligent guy. I maybe felt it in the first days that it is possible that he thinks a lot about this situation but hopefully not too much because he can trust himself and us as a staff that he can keep pushing and we will find possibilities to reward him.
“He showed a good performance in Sheffield United and it was important for him and the team. Sometimes it takes a little time and there are hard decision at the moment, at a club like Chelsea, with a squad of 22 players.
“Hopefully, we don’t have a lot of injuries but we have to deal with these situations. It is my job not to lose these players and to help them not lose trust. If he keeps on going, as a fantastic guy, he has a lot of potential and we will find possibilities for him on the pitch.
“At the same time, we wanted to give a fair start to everybody and not judge the amount of money that the club has spent but give everybody a feeling of a fresh start. Yes, Marcos is at the moment is a guy who took advantage of this situation but it is not the end of Chilly’s development. That’s for sure.”
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