https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/article/
tuchel-confirms-defender-start-at-saints-and-assesses-midfield-headache
Tuchel confirms defender start at Saints and assesses midfield headache
29 AUG 2022
Thomas Tuchel says Kalidou Koulibaly will slot straight back into the side
for tomorrow's game against Southampton having served his one-match ban.
https://i.imgur.com/PCDuEqG.jpg
The defender was sent off late on in the defeat at Elland Road for two
bookable offences so had to sit out the weekend win over Leicester City,
interrupting his start to life at Chelsea, but Tuchel has confirmed it
will continue on the South Coast.
'He will play at Southampton, he will be on the pitch,' said the boss.
'He's a massive player for us.
'I already see him emerging as a leader. He's a fantastic player, a
fantastic personality, and I'm so happy with what I see, how he behaves,
how he trains.
https://i.imgur.com/pelLii9.jpg
Koulibaly rushes towards the Chelsea supporters to celebrate his first
goal for the club
'I see a lot of quality and everything that is needed to be a leading
figure at Chelsea.'
On Saturday, Conor Gallagher followed Koulibaly in getting dismissed,
meaning we have already had as many red cards in this Premier League
season than in any since 2017/18.
Gallagher is now suspended tomorrow, and with N'Golo Kante injured and
Mateo Kovacic only just returning to the fold, Tuchel admits he has
problems to deal with in the centre of the park.
'It's the area where normally I would love to have a headache who plays
and who is on the bench. I thought we could have five players who could
all play for us, and have on top Carney as an option as a young player.
'The headache before the season was 'do we have too many players there?'.
It comes to the fifth game and we have only two left with experience in
this position, and Kova from the bench. At the moment he's not ready to
play full matches at Premier League level. He has only had one week of
training after his injury.
'It's a strange situation and one we don't like. It's like this and we
will have something to think about – or maybe not because it's so obvious
who we have left!'