📣 Tuchel on Saúl, Rüdiger's contract and Tottenham | OneFootball

Thomas Tuchel has been talking to the press ahead of Chelsea’s London derby with Tottenham Hotspur this weekend.

Here’s what he had to say.

On injury news

“No fresh injury concerns.

“Christian (Pulisic) is trying to come back as fast as possible but is not in the squad. N’Golo (Kanté) is in full shape and ready to play.”

On Rüdiger’s contract

“I hope they find a solution but it is not only between coaches and players and what we wish for.

“It is between the club, the player and the agent.

“He has been excellent, a very consistent player on a high level, calm and focused. Everything is in place but sometimes players need a bit longer. It is nothing new from our side.”

On Chelsea’s recent form

“Yeah but I didn’t expect us to be at our top level early in September, especially after this pre-season and Covid.

“For me at the moment, it is more important that we are competitive, we play relentless and have belief to overcome difficult minutes and periods within games.

“Aston Villa played at their top level, this is what we have to accept and respect. Competition is high. It is a good thing that we are able to win.

“I’m not saying we’re not playing well, we can play better but we are tough to beat.

“A win helps with atmosphere, keep calm and also be open to criticism. In the moment, I feel everybody is aware that we can do better. We are not really bad but we can do better.”

On Saúl Ñíguez

“We have guys who lack experience the same as him.

“They all shared the experiences from their first matches. When I was on the sideline for my first match, it was at another level.

“If it comes up to you every three days it is quite impressive, maybe a shock of cultures.

“We don’t doubt his quality. It takes maybe a bit of time to get it off his shoulders but he is at an age where he does not worry too much.”

On facing Tottenham

“It is always a good time to play Tottenham as it is a big match and rivalry.

“It is one of the matches you want to play.

“We face a tough opponent, it is a London derby. We had a great result last season that we want to repeat.”