“Had to step up” – Thomas Tuchel calls out on Three Chelsea players for not doing enough

Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel called out Three attackers for not doing enough against Burnley

Speaking in a post-match press conference to Chelsea TV (h/t Metro), Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel admitted that his three attackers upfront did not do enough in the first half against Burnley and were told to ‘step up’ at halftime.

Chelsea took on Burnley at the Turf Moor last night, and the Blues secured a 4-0 win thanks to a brace from Kai Havertz and goals from Christian Pulisic and Reece James. Despite both the American and the German forwards finding themselves on the score sheet, Tuchel was of the opinion that the duo, along with Mason Mount did not do enough, especially before halftime.

Tuchel’s side played a very tepid, lethargic first half at Turf Moor and looked devoid of ideas to break the Burnley back-line. However, it seemed as if they had flipped a switch at half-time, as a Chelsea side unrecognizable from the one that played before the break destroyed the Clarets and scored 4 goals in the space of just 25 minutes to put the game to bed.

When asked about what changed during the half-time break, Tuchel said that the attackers who were floundering in the first half were asked to raise their level.

“All three attackers had to step up, it was not enough”

The German manager also mentioned a small tactical tweak that immensely benefited the Blues. Giving space to their midfield lynchpin in N’Golo Kante opened a new front for the Chelsea attackers to exploit.

“We had a bit of a switch in tactics to give NG [N’Golo Kante] a bit more space and with two strikers on the pitch, the team did very well”

Did they ‘step up’?

While Havertz and Pulisic responded extremely well to their manager’s call, the same cannot be said about Mount. The German scored a brace and Pulisic scored and assisted goals to help Chelsea to a comfortable 4-0 win but the English midfielder struggled and was taken off in the 78th minute.

After two years of almost flawless performances and pretty much running the team, Mason Mount has been receiving criticism over the past few weeks after a dip in his levels. While it may be too early to read into it, the 23-year-old attacking midfielder will want to get back to matching the high standards that he has set for himself.

Christian Pulisic has seemingly finally put his injury troubles behind him and the United States international has been gaining prominence slowly but surely in Tuchel’s side. With Ziyech almost back from his injury, the American will have to be on top of his game if he wants to retain his starting berth.

Havertz meanwhile has had a very strange career at Chelsea. Whilst he has seemed to struggle many times in his Blues career, he manages to score important goals when they matter the most. The German now finds himself spearheading the attack ever since Tuchel shifted to a system without Lukaku in it and Tuchel will be hoping that the talented forward can become more consistent and contribute more to his side.

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With Chelsea still competing in the Champions League and FA Cup and vying for a top-4 finish in the Premier League, it is not just the attackers but the whole Chelsea team that will have to ‘step up’ if Tuchel wants to win more silverware with Chelsea.