Tuchel expresses concerns over Chelsea duo ahead of international break

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Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel is worried that a couple of Chelsea players will not be able to rest “at all” during the international break.

The Blues manager previously confirmed that Reece James will have to withdraw from the England squad to continue his recovery at Cobham, but there are still plenty of other Chelsea players who will be away for international duty in the next couple of weeks.

Mason Mount, for example, will be with the England squad, while N’Golo Kante will travel to France.

For the players whose countries have booked their places in the 2022 World Cup, it will be relatively two easier friendly fixtures.

While for Jorginho and Edouard Mendy, it is a completely different story, and Tuchel expressed his concerns about these players.

“Yeah, hopefully. Some players, of course,” Tuchel told Chelsea TV when asked about whether the international break will be an opportunity for players to switch off.

“[But] some of them have unbelievably important matches.

“Jorginho has an important match, Edou… and I sure forgot some other guys who [will] play qualifiers for the World Cup.

“There is no break at all for them, which is a bit concerning. But it’s the way it is.”

Tuchel even decided to rest Jorginho and left him out of the Chelsea squad in the 2-0 win over Middlesbrough on Saturday.

Jorginho, and the rest of the Italy squad, will face North Macedonia in the European World Cup play-offs semifinal on 24 March before potentially facing the winners of the other match between Portugal and Turkey in the final five days later.

Similarly, Mendy and his Senegal teammates will face a tough match against Egypt in the African World Cup qualifiers.

Their last encounter, in the recent AFCON final, ended with Senegal coming out victorious in the penalty shoot-out.

It is expected to be another fierce battle between the two teams on Friday.

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