ALONSO TRIED FOR SIZE
THOMAS TUCHEL revealed his decision to bring Marcos Alonso out of exile was based on his size.
The Chelsea manager handed Spanish wing-back Alonso his first appearance since September – and he was vindicated spectacularly.
And Tuchel promised to become Der Tinkerman of SW6 and keep opponents guessing with his team selection – after springing multiple surprises in his first week at the club.
Tuchel said: “We had a reason for playing Alonso – not that we were unhappy with Chilly [Ben Chilwell], absolutely not – but we opted for a bit more size to cope with the corners from Burnley.
“I know Marcos is used to playing this role, on the left side all alone, and he has a good timing for arriving in the box.
“We are very happy he could score the second goal to finish the game.
“If we manage to find a starting XI that can guarantee us to win 20 in a row, we will not change it, but it’s very unlikely this will happen.
“It’s super-hard in selection, or maybe it’s also super-easy because
I’m giving everyone the chance to show their abilities.”
Timo Werner missed another glut of chances but Tuchel said: “He gives everything.
But you can see like every striker they are sensitive and nothing helps them more than goals.”
“Confidence is something that comes with performances.” Sean Dyche admitted Burnley struggled to live with Chelsea. Manager Dyche said: “We didn’t turn up in the second half and when they turn up and play, it’s very difficult to handle.
“I was relatively pleased with our first half, it was the detail in the final third that was missing. We got ourselves into decent positions and we needed to make the most of them.
“It wasn’t a lack of desire or effort. We worked diligently enough but we were quiet up front.”