Romelu Lukaku back in Tuchel’s good books as Chelsea set to make plenty of changes in FA Cup

BY PAUL LAGAN
paul@slpmedia.co.uk

Chelsea will ring the changes tomorrow for the visit of Chesterfield to Stamford Bridge for the FA Cup third round tie.

Young midfielders Harvey Vale, 18, and Lewis Hall, 17, are expected to be kept in the squad with the former set to start alongside Ross Barkley.

Head coach Thomas Tuchel will be without N’Golo Kante, who tested positive for Covid, and the Frenchman remains a serious doubt for next week’s epic tussle in the Premier League at Manchester City.

Also missing is experienced central defender Thiago Silva who also has Covid. Andreas Christensen is unlikely to be risked as he recovers from injury with Malang Sarr expected to partner Toni Rudiger in central defence.

Cesar Azpilicueta will have his right hamstring tested before he takes his place at right-back – he limped off in Wednesday night 2-0 win against Spurs in the EFL Cup semi-final first leg.

Tuchel said: “We were very worried, but Azpi says it was only a cramp, not an injury. That would be the good news and we trust him.”

With Edouard Mendy away at the African Cup of Nations, Kepa Arrizabalaga will retain his slot between the sticks.

Kai Havertz is set to be on the bench, nursing a suspected broken finger, so Timo Werner continues his comeback from injury with a starting place.

Alongside him up front will be Romelu Lukaku.

He caused a meltdown at Cobham with his TV comments about Tuchel’s tactics and how unhappy he was at Chelsea. He was controversially dropped for the weekend draw against Liverpool but brought back for the Spurs match.

Tuchel said: “I am happy with the performance, I liked how he played. He was strong, involved, and showed huge commitment in our defensive work which was important.

“He was always dangerous and was always involved in dangerous situations.

“I expected it, honestly, because Romelu can handle pressure and adversity.”

One player desperate for more minutes is Saul Níguez .

The Spain midfielder has had a torrid time since the start of his season loan from Atletico Madrid.

But he put in an assured performance against Spurs.

Tuchel said: “He is happier and freer in training, I see it every day. He is stepping up his performances.

“It is an important moment for him and I have the feeling he digested the experiences in the beginning where maybe he didn’t expect it like this.

“He is not the first player to struggle from the switch in leagues. What he does is good because he is open and fully focused, totally committed to the team.”

Chelsea go to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Wednesday for the second leg of the semi-final knowing that their opponents will play better.

Tuchel could rue the number of missed chances to have put the tie to bed already.

He said: “We could’ve created a bigger cushion. Yes, it was possible. We created a lot and were very strong, because it is so hard to create against Tottenham as we’ve seen in the last few games.

“In the second half, we created a lot of big chances to have a third or fourth goal. Everybody knows the game isn’t decided and we have to arrive there at full focus and top shape again.

“We will need another 90 minutes of top-quality football if we want to go through to Wembley.”

Chelsea Women’s WSL match against Spurs at Kingsmeadow Stadium tonight has been postponed due to Covid and injuries in both camps.