Thomas Tuchel’s recent statement about the general fitness of his Chelsea team might be music to the ears of Tammy Abraham.
Following the Blues 0-0 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion on Tuesday, Tuchel told reporters his side ‘looked mentally and physically tired’.
There are two likely reasons behind this fatigue.
Two tough games in a row against Porto and Manchester City would take its toll on anybody, especially as Tuchel only made three changes to his starting XI for both fixtures.
Travelling to Sevilla for the ‘home leg’ of their Champions League tie against Porto wouldn’t have helped weary bodies either.
Similarly, all this European Super League nonsense has lingered over Chelsea in the past few days, an unwelcomed headache for everyone involved in the club.
Tuchel and his players have unwillingly been dragged into this mess. It must’ve been hard to get that out of their minds whilst playing Brighton.
If the Blues are still suffering from physical and emotional exhaustion, then the wisest decision would be to rotate the squad accordingly.
Chelsea travel to West Ham United this Saturday in a crunch tie for Champions League qualification, giving Tuchel a chance to reshuffle his pack.
This might just leave the doorway open for Abraham to make a rare appearance under the German coach.
The 23-year-old hasn’t played a minute of action since being substituted at half time away to Southampton in February.
His relationship with Tuchel seems to have taken a turn, with Chelsea’s manager continuously leaving him out of matchday squads.
Reasons behind Abraham’s omission includes repeated issues to his ankle and also not being able select more than nine substitutes.
A trip to West Ham would be prime opportunity for the young striker to show his importance at a pivotal point in the season.
He is still the Blues top scorer this campaign, with Tuchel’s current attacking option unable to find a consistent tune in front of goal.
Nobody should be fresher than Abraham, considering his long competitive absence.
Maybe he can be the tool to knock down the Hammers this weekend.
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