“Played well”- Chelsea boss singles out midfield star for praise following Wolves draw

Thomas Tuchel lauds Chelsea ace Saul Niguez for his impressive display in the 0-0 draw against Wolves

Speaking to Chelsea TV after the game, as quoted by The Metro, Thomas Tuchel heaped praise on Chelsea ace Saul Niguez for his commendable display in the 0-0 draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The West London club picked up a point against the Midlands side on Sunday afternoon. The Blues had some issues in midfield after Tuchel revealed that Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Jorginho are suffering from minor knocks. 

N’Golo Kante started the game alongside Trevoh Chalobah, but the Wolves midfield got the better of the two in the first half. However, the latter was substituted at half-time due to an injury, which saw Saul Niguez enter the fray.

The Spaniard produced an impressive display and gained control of the ball to dictate play in the entire half. Tuchel revealed his happiness with the player’s performance after the match.

‘Yes, he played well today. In general, we played better because the structure was better, the discipline was better in the structure.

‘That helped us to be better, to be high up the pitch, to impose our style of play, to increase the intensity. We were, in general, better as a team, and Saul was an important part of it.’

Better call Saul?

The Spaniard produced nothing but lacklustre displays since arriving on loan from Atletico Madrid in the summer. He was substituted in both league games that he started in and was at fault for the disastrous display against Everton on Thursday night.

However, he appeared a different beast in the second half against Wolves and controlled the play with ease. The 27-year-old was moving the ball from side to side with relative ease and often displayed his ability to play the ball over the shoulders of the Wolves defenders.

The Spanish international’s defensive display was also sublime as he protected the backline diligently. It is no surprise that his best performance has come after playing alongside N’Golo Kante for the first time. The pair perhaps complement each other well, thanks to the Frenchman’s lung-bursting ability to run back and forth.

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Tuchel will be hoping that this is a sign of good things to come from the Atletico loanee. The injuries and the Covid-19 cases are piling up, and we need the fringe stars in our squad to step up. It has taken nearly six months for Saul to churn out a decent performance, but it is not too late, and he can still turn things around in the second half of the season.