Thomas
Tuchel has revealed he is worried about Tammy Abraham's nagging ankle injury
after the Chelsea forward suffered a fresh setback in training.
Abraham has battled an ankle problem since hobbling out of Chelsea's 2-0 win
over Newcastle at Stamford Bridge on February 15, with Tuchel claiming the
striker had been harbouring an ankle issue since playing against Burnley on
January 31.
The 23-year-old has made five appearances since that initial problem, but
failed to complete Chelsea training on Thursday and will now miss Saturday's
Premier League trip to Leeds.
"Tammy still has ankle pain from the tackle against Newcastle, from the same
injury," said Tuchel on Friday.
"He's still not 100 per cent comfortable. Yesterday he went off, the day
before he was fine, yesterday he had some training.
"Honestly I'm a bit concerned because it's still the pain from the tackle
against Burnley, so we're talking about a long time now where he does not
really feel 100 per cent free and comfortable; I can see it in training.
"Even if he finishes training, I see that it's not 100 per cent, that he has
trust or feels totally free.
"So yeah, I'm a bit concerned but at the same time I have 100 per cent trust
in our medical department, those guys are fantastic and they take care of
him now.
"It was a bit of a setback yesterday that he had to leave the pitch during
the warm-up, but he gets all the time he needs.
"First of all, it's most important he feels safe, free, and zero pain, and
then we can think about his comeback."
Brazil defender Thiago Silva has suffered a minor recurrence of his prior
thigh problem so will also miss Saturday's Elland Road clash.
"Thiago also had a little setback in training," added Tuchel. "At the end of
the training session, the day before yesterday, he felt at the very end
something around the same area where he was injured.
"So we had to take him off and he's back into a transition phase but not
back in team training. So he will be out."
'Pulisic important part of my plans'
Christian Pulisic has struggled for game time since Frank Lampard's sacking
as Chelsea manager at the end of January, starting just one game as Tuchel
oversaw an impressive run of results.
Newspaper reports have suggested the USA international could be set to leave
Stamford Bridge, but Tuchel dismissed the notion insisting Pulisic was an
important part of his long-term plans.
"When you sign and play for Chelsea, it is part of the job description. You
have to be impatient because all of my players are competitors and are
hungry to play. At the same time when you are not selected by the coach, you
have to be patient.
"If he starts tomorrow and does brilliant, if he starts against Atletico and
does two goals, maybe he is the captain.
"We have many games and he is in my plans. He has the potential to be
decisive for us from the bench. As a beginner, can he improve it? Yes. But
his job is to be ready like everybody else."
Havertz needs to stay in the 'little
pockets'
Tuchel praised Kai Havertz ahead of Saturday's game against Leeds after the
summer arrival impressed in recent wins over Everton and Newcastle at
Stamford Bridge.
The Chelsea boss feels the Germany international is growing accustomed to
his position which requires him to stay ahead of the play in Tuchel's
system.
"The position between a nine and 10 is pretty much his best position. He has
the freedom to drop, to switch positions. I feel very confident with him in
high positions, I don't want to have him behind the ball.
"He needs to be high up the pitch and he feels comfortable behind opponents,
between the lines, and in little pockets."
top