Thomas Tuchel is full of praise for Mateo Kovacic as he named the Croatia international is of the three “crucial” players for his plan.
Kovacic and Jorginho are among the few Chelsea players who have started in all four games under Tuchel so far.
The additional defender in Tuchel’s 3-4-3 system has really helped the midfield pair thrive in controlling the game from central areas.
In an interview with the club, Tuchel took the opportunity to praise Kovacic who has been so reliable.
“I think he did amazing [in the last couple of weeks],” the manager told Chelsea TV.
“Kova, you can call him in the middle of the night and he will be ready to dribble, run, [win] the ball.
“He has the mentality of a real champion. Incredible.”
The former Paris Saint-Germain boss also picked out the three players who are going to play important roles in his plan this season.
“He has now played a very, very important role together with Jorginho, [and we also] have [N’Golo] Kante back — these three are crucial for us.
“Kovacic has done fantastic in terms of game understanding, acceleration with the ball.
“In terms of being calm and confident under pressure, and being involved in almost every attack.
“I’m super happy with his mentality, quality and performance he has showed us — outstanding.”
Chronicle view
Some of you might have noticed that Tuchel did not mention Billy Gilmour in that list.
Unfortunately for Gilmour, Tuchel has already confirmed that he considers the young midfielder as the fourth choice behind the three more experience midfielders.
On the contrary, Tuchel’s arrival has been a blessing for Jorginho and Kovacic.
They have reclaimed the regular spots after falling behind in the pecking order under Frank Lampard.
There have been questions about whether the midfield duo would work against more attacking teams who are going to compete for the possession of the ball.
But so far they have been brilliant and long may it continue.
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