Ben Chilwell is ready but it wasn't time to push him into cold water, admits Thomas Tuchel
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has revealed that Ben Chilwell is still getting back up to speed as left-back looks to make his first appearance for the new season. The left-back has not made a competitive appearance since last season's Champions League final, after a late return from holidays.
Ben Chilwell signed for Chelsea from Premier League rivals Leicester City on a five-year contract last summer and immediately established himself as Chelsea's first-choice left-back as soon as he arrived. It saw the English international finish the season with 42 appearances across all competitions with four goals and seven assists, including playing a key part as the Blues lifted the Champions League trophy.
However, despite being a part of Gareth Southgate's England squad for Euro 2020, Chilwell failed to make a single appearance for his country which has hurt his match-fitness which is why the left-back has yet to feature for Chelsea this campaign as Marcos Alonso is preferred instead. But in light of a lack of game-time, Thomas Tuchel has revealed that Ben Chilwell is not fully-match fit but revealed that he is slowly but surely getting up to speed.
"For Ben Chilwell, it's very easy, he came back with the latest group [after the Euros and holiday]. When he arrived Marcos Alonso had five weeks in his legs from pre-season. He played the first competitive matches after a fantastic pre-season. He was simply way more ready physically which was natural because of the training session and his fantastic games," Tuchel said, reported Goal.
"He played the Super Cup final and three Premier League games. Also, we only have three substitutions allowed and this is a huge problem. Chilly needed his time in training to adapt to the intensity. He is ready now but now wasn't the time to push him into the cold water."
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