Thomas Tuchel has backed Saul Niguez to bounce back following the midfielder’s disappointing debut for Chelsea last weekend.
The deadline day arrival from Atletico Madrid was hauled off at half-time on his first appearance against Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge, with the Spain international struggling to get to grips with the pace of the Premier League.
[dugoutvideo id=”eyJrZXkiOiJlQmZKMjY1UyIsInAiOiJ0aGUtZm9vdGJhbGwtZmFpdGhmdWwiLCJwbCI6IiJ9″ partner=”the-football-faithful”]
Saul was uncharacteristically loose in possession and was withdrawn at the interval with Villa creating several opportunities, though Tuchel has defended the 26-year-old and says there are no doubts over his ‘quality’.
The German also revealed that the Chelsea squad have supported Saul following his sub-standard showing, sharing their own experiences of adaptation to English football.
“We have guys who lack the same experience as him,” Tuchel said at his pre-match press conference ahead of Chelsea’s clash with Tottenham on Sunday.
“They all shared the experiences from their first matches.
“When I was on the sideline for my first match, it was at another level. If it comes up to you every three days it is quite impressive, maybe a shock of cultures.
“We don’t doubt his quality. It takes maybe a bit of time to get it off his shoulders but he is at an age (26) where it does not worry him too much.”
Read – Midfield Magicians: Xabi Alonso, the grand master of 4D chess
Read Also – Fantasy Premier League: Four of the best FPL captains for gameweek five