Gary Lineker believes Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel will soon realise his two best players at Chelsea after surprise line-up omissions in Wednesday’s goalless draw against Wolves.
The 42-year-old reportedly made it clear during his first meeting with the Chelsea players that everyone would start with a clean slate (Mirror).
Good news for those who were out of the picture during Frank Lampard’s reign, but not so much for those who have established themselves as regulars.
For his first game in charge, Tuchel admitted he went with experience for his team selection.
“In doubt, we chose for a bit more experience today and in the moment which is not easy, we step in in the middle of the season,” he said in his pre-match interview (via Evening Standard).
The likes of Cesar Azpilicueta, Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic, and Olivier Giroud all made Tuchel’s first ever Chelsea line-up at the expense of several younger players.
Lineker who seemed to be surprised with the team selection believes Tuchel is soon going to realise the quality of two of those youngsters.
“[It] won’t be long for him [Tuchel] to work out his two best players are [Mason] Mount and [Reece] James,” the former England striker wrote on Twitter.
Chronicle view
Tuchel himself described it as an “unfair” team selection which suggests there could be drastic changes in his next line-ups.
Mount had an opportunity to prove himself with a 10-minute cameo in the second half and arguably made an instant impact although he could not secure a victory.
James was not as fortunate as an unused sub, but will have his chances to impress the manager in the training ground.
As Lineker pointed out, Tuchel is likely going to see their quality sooner than later.
After all, both Mount and James did not establish themselves as regulars under Lampard because of favouritism but because of what they offer on the pitch.
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