Football
Watch Saúl’s Premier League debut. Like Alice in Wonderland, Chelsea fans shake their heads
Saúl Ñíguez played his first Premier League game at the weekend, but he didn’t impress Chelsea fans by looking like Alice in Wonderland on the pitch. But Thomas Tuchel sympathetically took all the responsibility.
Saúl Ñíguez played his first Premier League game at the weekend, but he didn’t impress Chelsea fans by looking like Alice in Wonderland on the pitch. But Thomas Tuchel sympathetically took all the responsibility.
The Spanish midfielder was one of the two big signings this year and a lot is expected of him. After all, he is a player who should be a difference maker and, thanks to his complexity, can be used for many tactics, of which the German coach has a lot up his sleeve.
But Saúl’s first performance was not at all successful and after a shaky first half, Tuchel had to withdraw him from the field when Jorginho came on in his place. A player, by the way, who for a long time was described by everyone as a completely botched transfer.
This year, however, the Italian midfielder has put in performances that will probably bring him the most prestigious individual trophy in the form of the Ballon d’Or.
Check out the Spanish midfielder’s first performance for yourself::
Saúl himself, then, certainly has all the prerequisites to even surpass his new colleague. He’s a much more complete player and if the Premier League and his teammates Jorginho and Kanté fit him, the Blues will have a really strong midfield!
That is of course why Tuchel brought him in. However, the timing of his debut wasn’t the best and the German coach sympathetically took it upon himself.
“He made some big mistakes, broke up some passes and had problems with the speed of the game. You could see for yourself that he is not fully adapted yet. But the responsibility for that falls solely on me. I thought he would jump into the game and be able to play for us at this level right away ,” the German coach told Sky Sports after the game.
After all, the Premier League is different from La Liga and not everyone is comfortable in this competition. But the 26-year-old Spaniard should be able to cope with it. Speed and dynamism is definitely not his weakness!
However, given that he spent many years at Atlético Madrid, led by a very defensive-minded Diego Simeone, whose game is miles away from the one Tuchel practices with Chelsea, Blues fans will probably have to be patient with Saúl.
Source: Sky Sports, Transfermarkt