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Chelsea in a ‘good place’ ahead of Malmo clash, says Tuchel London (AFP) – Thomas Tuchel has praised his Chelsea players for the way they have dispatched opponents in recent weeks, saying the team are in a “good place” ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League match against Malmo. The European champions are three points clear at the top of the Premier League and well-placed to progress from Group H of the Champions League. Tuchel’s side are unbeaten in six matches since their loss in September to group leaders Juventus. During that run they hammered Malmo 4-0 at Stamford Bridge. “We are in a good place,” Tuchel said at his pre-match press conference on Monday. “We know what it takes to have these kind of results, the effort we put into it. “At the same time, we set the standards that we set in every match so tomorrow we start again from scratch.” The German said the match in Sweden would be the “fifth or sixth game in a row” in which his side had been considered to be favourites. “I like a lot how my team approaches these matches because we put in a lot of effort and put in a lot of intensity and give not too much on the general view about it that we are the favourites but we proved our point on the pitch and that is absolutely necessary tomorrow.” But Tuchel warned that winless Malmo could be dangerous as they would have nothing to lose and could play with freedom. “Malmo maybe need an extraordinary performance and they will prepare for this,” he said. “Any team on this kind of level is able to create an extraordinary performance, so we should be prepared and we should be humble and respectful enough towards the game and towards the opponent and anything can happen.” Chelsea’s defenders have been in outstanding goalscoring form this season, with wing-backs Reece James and Ben Chilwell notching seven goals between them. James is the club’s joint top-scorer this season — level on four goals for the season with injured striker Romelu Lukaku. Tuchel said it was important not to rely on only one or two players to score goals but also stressed the importance of having consistent goalscorers. “I’m happy when we create chances,” added the Chelsea boss, who said his wing-backs were often acting as midfielders because of his defensive back three . “I’m happy when we have in the end five, six players in the box to be dangerous. “In the system that we play it’s crucial that the wing-backs are there and have the freedom to be dangerous and the second one is of course defenders need to be dangerous for set pieces.”

London (AFP) – Thomas Tuchel has praised his Chelsea players for the way they have dispatched opponents in recent weeks, saying the team are in a “good place” ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League match against Malmo. The European champions are three points clear at the top of the Premier League and well-placed to progress from Group H of the Champions League. Tuchel’s side are unbeaten in six matches since their loss in September to group leaders Juventus. During that run they hammered Malmo 4-0 at Stamford Bridge. “We are in a good place,” Tuchel said at his pre-match press conference on Monday. “We know what it takes to have these kind of results, the effort we put into it. “At the same time, we set the standards that we set in every match so tomorrow we start again from scratch.” The German said the match in Sweden would be the “fifth or sixth game in a row” in which his side had been considered to be favourites. “I like a lot how my team approaches these matches because ...

Kepa won’t moan about Mendy’s Chelsea return, says Tuchel London (AFP) – Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel says there is no bad blood with Kepa Arrizabalaga after the Spanish goalkeeper was dropped to make way for Edouard Mendy in Saturday’s clash with Manchester City. Senegal ‘keeper Mendy has missed Chelsea’s past two games after aggravating a hip injury during last week’s Champions League win against Zenit Saint Petersburg. In Mendy’s absence, Kepa kept a clean sheet in the 3-0 win at Tottenham on Sunday, then saved a penalty in the Blues’ League Cup shoot-out victory over Aston Villa in midweek. He also came off the bench to make a decisive penalty shoot-out save when Chelsea beat Villarreal to win the UEFA Super Cup in August. But Kepa’s impressive displays were not enough to keep the 26-year-old in goal against City as Tuchel confirmed Mendy would start now he is available again. Asked by reporters on Friday if that hardline stance could create problems in his relationship with Kepa, the Chelsea boss said he had already made it clear to former Athletic Bilbao keeper that Mendy was his first choice. “We are here to push Kepa to the absolute limit,” said Tuchel. “He is fantastic and we are happy to have him. “But Mendy is in the moment number one and number one is ready to play. It is easy, not hard at all. There are no hard feelings in there. “This is welcome to Chelsea, the competition goes on at a very high level. They are friends, there are no hard words. He will not come to my office and say I’m not happy.” Tuchel has masterminded three successive wins over City boss Pep Guardiola, including last season’s Champions League final. Another victory at Stamford Bridge would take the Premier League leaders six points clear of champions City in the early stages of the title race. Regardless of the result, Tuchel, who became friendly with Guardiola when both worked in Germany, admits it still feels like an honour to compete against a manager he has admired from the early days of his coaching career. “When I started this work, I didn’t do it to reach his kind of level. It was more about understanding what he did tactically, how he implements a counter-press,” Tuchel said. “I don’t want to copy him. I’m not a fan boy but I’m simply impressed. It was an honour to hear his beliefs. It questioned my beliefs.” He added: “It was so far out of reach to be able to compete with him. That’s why I’m so grateful now. “If we can play at our level we can beat Pep’s team. This is a good feeling — you are in a good place.”

London (AFP) – Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel says there is no bad blood with Kepa Arrizabalaga after the Spanish goalkeeper was dropped to make way for Edouard Mendy in Saturday’s clash with Manchester City. Senegal ‘keeper Mendy has missed Chelsea’s past two games after aggravating a hip injury during last week’s Champions League win against Zenit Saint Petersburg. In Mendy’s absence, Kepa kept a clean sheet in the 3-0 win at Tottenham on Sunday, then saved a penalty in the Blues’ League Cup shoot-out victory over Aston Villa in midweek. He also came off the bench to make a decisive penalty shoot-out save when Chelsea beat Villarreal to win the UEFA Super Cup in August. But Kepa’s impressive displays were not enough to keep the 26-year-old in goal against City as Tuchel confirmed Mendy would start now he is available again. Asked by reporters on Friday if that hardline stance could create problems in his relationship with Kepa, the Chelsea boss said he had already made it clear ...

Kepa ‘deserves’ to start for Chelsea in FA Cup final, says Tuchel London (AFP) – Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel said Kepa Arrizabalaga “deserves” a starting spot in Saturday’s FA Cup final against Leicester even though the world’s most expensive goalkeeper is second choice at Stamford Bridge. Kepa has played second fiddle to Edouard Mendy since the Senegal international joined from Ligue 1 side Rennes in September but has started every FA Cup match this season under Tuchel and his predecessor Frank Lampard. The Spaniard, 26, made a rare league outing in Wednesday’s 1-0 defeat by Arsenal, with Tuchel saying he wanted to give the £72 million ($101 million) goalkeeper a game before the Wembley showpiece. “He starts the FA Cup final, and we thought it was a good idea to give him the game before,” Tuchel said. “We trust him and he deserves it. That is the basis of why we put him in the line-up. “He deserves it. He is so close and good in training. We wanted to give him some minutes and take both games together. It was an unlucky night for him as well.” Kepa has struggled to justify the record transfer fee paid out when Italian Maurizio Sarri was in charge in 2018. He was dropped last season before regaining his place but has been number two in the pecking order since Mendy arrived.

London (AFP) – Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel said Kepa Arrizabalaga “deserves” a starting spot in Saturday’s FA Cup final against Leicester even though the world’s most expensive goalkeeper is second choice at Stamford Bridge. Kepa has played second fiddle to Edouard Mendy since the Senegal international joined from Ligue 1 side Rennes in September but has started every FA Cup match this season under Tuchel and his predecessor Frank Lampard. The Spaniard, 26, made a rare league outing in Wednesday’s 1-0 defeat by Arsenal, with Tuchel saying he wanted to give the £72 million ($101 million) goalkeeper a game before the Wembley showpiece. “He starts the FA Cup final, and we thought it was a good idea to give him the game before,” Tuchel said. “We trust him and he deserves it. That is the basis of why we put him in the line-up. “He deserves it. He is so close and good in training. We wanted to give him some minutes and take both games together. It was an unlucky night for him as well.” ...