TUCH’ TIGHT
Thomas thankful for Mendy
THOMAS TUCHEL is not about to apologise for Chelsea’s skin- of-the-teeth escape from the Brentford Community Stadium on Saturday evening.
“We are what we are,” he said, after the European champions held on against their newly promoted neighbours despite Brentford throwing everything but the kitchen sink at them in a frantic final 20 minutes.
It was easy to leap on the seven shots on target Thomas Frank’s side managed as Chelsea clung on.
But in the cold light of morning, an even more impressive statistic emerges. Eight games into the season, Chelsea have still only conceded one goal from open play.
Throw in two penalties and even that out over a season and Tuchel’s side are on track to concede around 14 goals in their entire league campaign.
While Liverpool and Manchester
City ity have been rattling in goals in fives and sixes, that defending is the stuff of champions.
“We are what we are,” reiterated Tuchel. “We try our best to create chances and it is not so easy to score or keep clean sheets.
Quality
“Liverpool and Manchester City have proved throughout the last years that they are the benchmark in terms of quality and consistency.
“They have shown us what it takes to be able to become champions.
“We have to improve in every aspect of the game and we will not stop trying to create more for our strikers strikers. But that includes improving in defence as well as offence — because the game is a complex one.
“Against Brentford, we lacked a bit of position. Otherwise we had some half chances. We put a lot of ef fort into every part of the game.”
Mainly, though, that effort went into backs-to-the-wall defending.
The woodwork, Edouard Mendy, the woodwork AND Mendy combined… all went in to keeping Brentord at bay.
When that did not work, Trevor Chalobah was clearing off the line.
With Malang Sarr also making his Premier League debut, it was a patched-up looking Chelsea defence — although still it held firm enough for Ben Chilwell’s piledriver on the stroke of half-time to prove decisive.
Mainly, though, it was about Mendy, who the value he has brought to the Chelsea rearguard for a relative snip of €25m when he was signed.
Indeed, his giant presence in the flurry of bodies bouncing around the six-yard box is reminiscent of the club legend Tuchel has to thank for Mendy’s presence at the club.
Potential
“Credit goes to the club and to Petr Cech, who saw the potential in this guy,” said Tuchel.
“When we arrived, I f ound Kepa Arrizabalaga, Edou and Willy Caballero and Petr was even training with them for the first half a year.
“It was a fantastic, competitive group of goalkeepers and coaches and Petr Cech helping them through every single session. That was very, very impressive.”