“Yes, he struggles”- Tuchel defends out-of-form loanee from social media abuse

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel defends Saul Niguez from online abuse

According to Mirror, Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has suggested why criticizing Saul Niguez at this moment is very early and revealed that the Spaniard has been compromising a lot. 

Saul Niguez‘s Chelsea profile is far from his success at Atletico Madrid. The Spaniard has struggled to adapt to the requirements of Thomas Tuchel and has failed to bring any positive impact through his performance. The 27-year-old player has made only 4 Premier League appearances this season, and his underwhelming displays have drawn the eyes of Blues supporters.

Thomas Tuchel played him in the second half against Everton recently. Saul didn’t seem up to the task and was below par to say the very least. After the game, the Spaniard was targetted on online social media platforms by Blues fans. 

However, Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel backed the 27-year-old and suggested that his drop in performance is not a big surprise as many footballers struggle to adapt to the intensity of the Premier League after making the switch. 

“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.”

The German manager also made his stance clear when it comes to online abuse and suggested that Saul has been playing in many unusual positions in the last few weeks, which he is not accustomed to. 

“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. I understand that people are disappointed after Thursday, but reactions like this are exactly the reasons why I do not involve myself in social media.”

The injury to N’Golo Kanté and Mateo Kovačić has put the former Borussia Dortmund manager in a very uncomfortable position. On the other hand, the out of form Ross Barkley hasn’t provided the necessary help. Thus, the Blues midfield area has been weak in the last few weeks, and the consequences are evident. 

The German manager is experimenting with different positions for Saul to find how the Spaniard can contribute to the team in the most efficient way possible. But it is clear that Tuchel isn’t really considering the Atletico Madrid loanee as one of the first names on the team sheet.

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But no matter how his performances get, it will always be wrong to subject him to abuse- whether it is inside the stadium or on social media. Our job, as supporters, is to back the players wearing Chelsea blue. If we ourselves turn against our players then who else would they turn to for support?

Chelsea take on Wolves in a matter of hours now. It remains to be seen if Saul starts, but if he does, the least we can do is let him he has our support and spur him on into giving his best on the pitch.