Tuchel reveals plans to frustrate Sergio Ramos, Sevilla table swap-deal offer to Chelsea, as Tuchel issues Chelsea injury update
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has revealed he will frustrate Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos during the second leg of our Champions League semi-final by giving him no-one to “fight” with.
Ramos missed the first-leg in Spain which ended at 1-1 but is expected to return for the second-leg at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night.
Tuchel told Chelsea’s official website: “If we play with no striker at all and Ramos has nothing to fight then that can also be a solution. I have not made my mind up yet.
“It’s another challenge because he is the leader of their group and he is the guy to give a lot of solutions to any questions that we will hopefully ask them.
“We will wait and see who is in good shape and good form, what shape we play and where we try to hurt them.
“I’m not too sure if they will play again with five or go back to four [in defence] so there are many questions but we don’t need the answers now. It’s enough if we have them on Wednesday.”
Sevilla table interesting swap-deal offer to Chelsea
Sevilla are reportedly open to selling Jules Kounde to Chelsea in a swap deal. The Spanish side want Hakim Ziyech as a part of the deal and are willing to cut the asking price by 50% if the Moroccan is included.
According to a report in El Gol Digital, Sevilla are ready to sell Jules Kounde in the summer. Real Madrid, Manchester United and several other clubs have been linked with the Frenchman, but none have agreed a deal with Sevilla.
The Spanish club are now looking to use the French defender to get Hakim Ziyech from Chelsea. The report from Spain suggests Sevilla are keen on the Chelsea star and are willing to offer the Blues a 50% discount if they include the Moroccan in the deal.
Hakim Ziyech has been a long-term target for Sevilla, and the Moroccan rejected a move to the Spanish club while he was at Ajax. He revealed the main decision to reject the move was Monchi, the club director, as he had ‘ghosted’ the Ajax star while he was at AS Roma.
“Sevilla is a great club, but Monchi already wanted to take me with him when I was at Roma. It seems that the negotiation was going in the right direction, but suddenly he disappeared,” Ziyech had said.Dutch legend wants Hakim Ziyech to leave Chelsea
Marco van Basten blasted Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel for the mistreatment of Hakim Ziyech last month.
The Dutch legend believes the German manager is biased towards Timo Werner and is ruining the career of the Moroccan. He said:
“Ziyech again on the couch. When he gets in, that’s like a striker. He can do that too, because he is just a good player. I am sad to see rotation… He’s just not in the right place.”That Werner plays really badly, but doesn’t he come in much more often? The system this trainer plays is just not good for Ziyech.
Then as Ziyech you have to say: ‘You know what? I have to plead. It is now about Ziyech because I have nothing to do with that man. This is not getting along like that. I’m not saying it’s bad for Ziyech or bad for that trainer, but it doesn’t work like that.”
Hakim Ziyech has been in and out of the Chelsea starting XI this season as the club have a lot of players fighting for a place in the front three.
The Blues are due to face Zinedine Zidane’s men in the midweek fixture at Stamford Bridge with Tuchel’s side enjoying the advantage of an important away goal secured in last week’s stalemate in Madrid.
Thomas Tuchel issues injury update on Chelsea duo ahead of Real Madrid clash
Antonio Rudiger is in line to feature for Chelsea against Real Madrid in the second leg of the semi-final contest come Wednesday, confirmed Thomas Tuchel, but Mateo Kovacic looks certain to miss out with a muscle injury still not nursed fully.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the match, according to reports from The Sun, Tuchel clarified that Rudiger was in contention to play in the upcoming match albeit with a mask to safeguard his facial injury but Kovacic was bound to be sidelined once again following the Croatian midfielder having suffered another niggle.
“For Toni, he can play with a mask, so it’s just about getting used to it.
“For Kovacic he felt something. It’s very likely he will not make it.
“But I’m very happy to arrive with this group in the semi-final. We feel ready for a big fight.”
Chelsea were last seen in action against Fulham in Premier League football over the past weekend in a home fixture in which the west London giants cruised to a comfortable 2-0 victory over the relegation favourite visitors.
Kai Havertz was the main man for Thomas Tuchel’s side last time around with the German international attacker netting a brace to command the Blues to a much-important win in their quest to seal a top-four finish.