Thomas
Tuchel praised the performance of Romelu Lukaku in Chelsea's 2-0 Carabao Cup
semi-final first leg win over Tottenham at Stamford Bridge.
Lukaku was not among the scorers on his return to the team after being
omitted from the squad against Liverpool following his incendiary interview
but still impressed the Chelsea boss.
"He was strong and he was involved," said Tuchel. "He showed huge commitment
in our defensive work and he was always dangerous and used his body well.
"I expected it because I know he can handle pressure and adversity and he
seemed to be relaxed after the decision was made when we had finished our
talks that he would put in a performance like that."
Spain international midfielder Saul Niguez was also a positive for Tuchel,
delivering his strongest performance in a Chelsea shirt since arriving from
Atletico Madrid.
"He is more happy and he's more free in training. I see it every day. He
played better when he came on against Wolves [in the Premier League] and he
had a good impact. He's stepping up.
"It was an important moment for him. But I have a feeling he has digested
his experiences in the beginning when maybe he didn't expect to struggle
quite so much after the switch. What he does is so good, because he is open,
fully focused and totally committed to the team."
The disappointment for Tuchel is that the tie is not over before the second
leg has begun given Chelsea's dominance after taking a two-goal lead inside
45 minutes.
"We could have created a bigger cushion because we created a lot of big
chances for a third or a fourth goal," he added.
"Everyone knows it's not decided. We have to arrive with full focus and in
top shape for the next leg because we need another 90 minutes of top
football if we want to go through to Wembley.
"We had two last-minute bits of bad news with Thiago Silva and N'Golo Kante,
who were both supposed to start. So we decided yesterday to switch to a back
four, and the guys were very committed, open and focused to play like we had
played.
"It was a well-deserved win in a big match against a very strong opponent."
Conte: Important gap between teams is
clear
After Chelsea’s 2-0 win over Tottenham, Antonio Conte says people will need
to have patience if Tottenham are going to reach the same levels as the
Blues
Chelsea have only lost one of their last 36 home games in all competitions
against Tottenham, winning 23 times in the process.
Spurs were improved after the interval, and Harry Kane's drilled free-kick
forced a solid stop from Kepa Arrizabalaga - but it was one of very few
chances.
Antonio Conte told Sky Sports: "It was a difficult game, from the start.
Chelsea showed they were much better than us. In the first half, we
struggled a lot but we know that we're talking about one of the best teams
in Europe and in the world.
"Last year, they won the Champions League and if you compare the two teams I
think there's not a comparison. We're talking about a team that's ready to
win and they've played an important part over many years.
"Today, we have seen the difference between the two teams."
"I said that these types of games can show us the difference in the gap
there is between us and top clubs like Chelsea. We struggled a lot this
evening and they showed us they are much stronger than us.
"There is a lot of work to do in many aspects, because in this moment in the
last couple of years the level of Tottenham has dropped a lot. Now we have
to rebuild, and to rebuild we need patience and more time.
"I understand it is not simple to accept this, especially for the fans, but
we are working a lot to try and fight. Right now we are in the middle. We
are not up or down, we are in the middle.
"When I speak about trying to improve the team and squad I include all these
aspects now. I want to try and improve the mentality to make less mistakes
during the game, to not lose stupid balls.
"It is part of a process. We need the fans to stay behind us, and they have
been fantastic in the way they've supported us. But I want to speak the
truth and say clearly we are in the middle and we need time."
Spurs have never won away against Chelsea in the League Cup, drawing one and
losing four of their visits to Stamford Bridge in the competition.
When pressed on what Spurs were lacking during a tepid first 45 minutes, the
Italian added: "It is not easy to play at Stamford Bridge, the way they were
very concentrated, they won the ball every time and then we conceded also a
goal we were unlucky.
"When you start the game and after a few minutes they score, for sure the
game becomes very difficult.
"But, I know the situation, it is very clear in this moment there is an
important gap. We have to try to fight to stay in the league in a good
position, but if we think we are close, I think we are not in the right
way."
Dawson: Only half-time in tie
Former Spurs defender Michael Dawson told Sky Sports:
"It could've been a lot worse for Tottenham but at 2-0, you're still in it.
It's only half time.
"If they perform like they did tonight and start the way they did at
Stamford Bridge, a tough place to go, then it's going to be tough.
"We've spoken about the gulf of where Chelsea are and where Spurs are, and
they've got a lot of work to do but they can be positive about the second
half as it was much better.
"They've got to be on the front foot now and take the game to Chelsea. The
full-backs never got over the halfway line.
"When you go to Stamford Bridge, you've got to show big character and be
calm in possession but that's not what we saw. They'll be really
disappointed but in the second half, they changed formation.
"They're still in the tie, but that's the only positive for Antonio Conte.
Chelsea absolutely dominated the game tonight."
Did we see start of Saul's Chelsea career?
Saul Niguez was handed a start in midfield alongside Jorginho, and the
Spaniard impressed on his 12th appearance for the club - making more tackles
(six), interceptions (three) and a 100 per cent passing accuracy into the
final third.
Dawson added: "He's had a tough time since coming to Chelsea, playing in
different positions but tonight it suited him in midfield and it suited him.
He got on the ball and he tried to break things up.
"For him and Jorginho, it was a comfortable night and what he did, he did
well, breaking things up and making tackles.
"It was a positive performance from him tonight as he's had his critics.
We've certainly not seen the best of him so far, but this was a performance
he would've enjoyed. He took his opportunity tonight."
Carabao Cup schedule
Second leg to take place at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Wednesday,
January 12.
Winner will face Arsenal or Liverpool in the final at Wembley on Sunday,
February 27.
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