GENTLE TUCH
Niguez voted worst Chelsea signing, but Blues boss bites back: It’s not Saul’s fault I play him everywhere... it’s up to me to protect him
THOMAS TUCHEL has leapt to the defence of Saul Niguez after he again became a target for the Chelsea boo-boys.
The midfielder has had a torrid time since arriving on loan from Atletico Madrid in the summer and has been substituted at half-time in his two Premier League starts for the Blues.
He came on for his fourth top-flight appearance in the 1-1 draw with Everton in midweek midway through the second half and copped all sorts of flak online from Chelsea supporters post-match for his performance.
Tuchel said of the 27-year-old: “Does Saul feel the same as he did at Atletico and the same guy with the same role and responsibility? No, maybe not yet.
“Does he struggle? Yes, he struggles.
“Is he the first player to struggle coming to the Premier League? No. And he will not be the last one.
“We will protect our players. I will protect my players always.
“On Thursday, he played as a No.6, as a No.9 and as a wing-back. “Is that fair to him? No, it is not. “So this needs to be put into context and then we have to have a bit more of a moderate picture and a more moderate reaction.
“I understand that people are disappointed after Thursday, but reactions like this are exactly why I don’t involve myself in social media.
“I protect myself because this is when it can get carried away and I only hope that Saul does not read it because why should he?
“He knows what we think about him, he knows what he has to do to improve and he’s doing all he can.
“He is struggling, but we still are working to find the best version of him and will not stop pushing.”
Tuchel, whose side face Wolves today, is also bullish about Cesar Azpilicueta’s future.
The Blues captain is one of four defenders – along with Thiago Silva, Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen – in the last seven months of his contract, although it is widely expected that he will extend his stay at Stamford Bridge.
Tuchel added: “I don’t see any problem here. “The situation between Azpi and the club is very, very clear – he’s our captain, he has all the possibilities to stay here
as long as possible, to be the legend and to become the legend that he already is, maybe.
“He’s a fantastic captain and a fantastic player.
“If there are some weeks where he does not play so much, like in the last weeks, there are reasons.
“First of all, he was injured with his shoulder. Second, the team played very, very strongly in his position with Trevoh Chalobah and Andreas, and on the wing-back with Reece James.
“That’s how it is. If there’s any player who knows that it’s like this, then it’s Azpi.
“He can be very, very calm. He has everything in his own hands.”