‘Needs to do it in games’: Tuchel urges 26-year-old Chelsea player to carry form in training into matches

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Thomas Tuchel has explained he wants to see Chelsea’s Ruben Loftus-Cheek push himself further and find more consistency in his game.

Chelsea manager Tuchel has delivered some intriguing comments on the 26-year-old Blues player.

Loftus-Cheek, who came through the club’s academy many years ago, has made 31 appearances across all competitions this season.

He’s been in and out of the XI at times this campaign, but many will be surprised by how much he’s actually played given the disappointing loan spell at Fulham last year.

Of course, most know him as a box-to-box central midfielder. He’s shown real flexibility and promise in the past couple of games by impressing at right wing-back, though.

Tuchel’s given a detailed breakdown on Loftus-Cheek as a player, which includes saying he’s got to try replicate his form in training into matches.

“He can do it in training, but he needs to do it in games, it’s very different,” Tuchel said.

“He lacked the stability to go out on loan and be a key player, and he lacked this history. It was not like he was the absolutely key player when he was on loan [at Fulham], and then he came back – he always shows his potential, always shows his potential.

“He is a very nice guy and a quiet guy. As I say, it’s not over-confidence, it’s the opposite. He needs to impose it by keeping the focus, trusting himself, and pushing himself to the next game, pushing himself to the physical limit. I don’t think he is fully aware of what he can produce, what he can physically give. I think he is still in the situation where he accepts limits too early, and he is used to that. This is where we are with him, but we will keep on pushing.”

Chelsea future

It’s a hard one to judge when assessing the future of Loftus-Cheek.

He’s still got over two years left on his contract at Stamford Bridge. Also, the manager’s latest comments suggest he’s not giving up on him as a player.

However, he’s surely got to raise his game to have a long-term career under Tuchel.

Interestingly, ex-Blues manager Maurizio Sarri reportedly wants to reunite with Loftus-Cheek and bring him to Lazio.

He paved the way for so many of the recent academy graduates at Chelsea, so most of the fanbase would love for him to stick around the squad and become a key player.

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