Chelsea spent a lot of money in the signing of Ben Chilwell last summer but so far, he’s yet to feature for the Blues during the 2021/22 season.
Thomas Tuchel has used Marcos Alonso for the first three Premier League matches which is why some experts are hinting that Chilwell might have fallen down the pecking order at the club.
The Chelsea boss though has been quick to come out and clear the air stating that an extended pre-season break for the England international is the only reason why Alonso has been starting on the left-hand side and that Ben Chilwell should be getting more game time after the international break.
‘For Ben Chilwell, the explanation is very easy,’ said Tuchel, as per Chelsea’s official website. ‘He came back with the latest group and Marcos Alonso had five weeks in his legs from pre-season.
‘Marcos played the first competitive matches after a fantastic pre-season. He was simply way more ready physically which was natural because of he did every single training session and was fantastic in the games. He played the Super Cup final and three Premier League games.
‘Having to deal with so many physical situations, with the players arriving back late, you cannot say after 60 minutes, Ben now I give you 30 minutes. You cannot say let’s start with Thiago and see how long it goes.
‘Chilly needed his time in training to adapt to the intensity. He is ready now but it wasn’t the time to push him into the cold water.’
Ben Chilwell played in only one EURO 2020 game for England courtesy of the brilliant form that Luke Shaw was in and many were thinking that this might be affecting his Chelsea selection as well.
Thankfully, Tuchel has separated the facts from fiction so once the Blues get going in the Champions League right after the international break, we should be seeing the use of Ben Chilwell much more.
