Tuchel finally reveals his biggest reason for starting Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner against Manchester City
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel made three changes for the 1-0 FA Cup semi-final victory over Manchester City with Kepa Arrizabalaga, Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner starting ahead of Edouard Mendy, Kai Havertz and Christian Pulisic.
Explaining why he started Ziyech and Werner in attack, Tuchel said before the game: “It’s a big opportunity for Timo but also a big opportunity for all the guys today.
“This is a knockout game, for a chance to make the FA Cup final and you have to work hard to show you deserve to be in the team.
“We have some tough matches coming in a short period of time, so we decided to give Kai Havertz and Christian Pulisic a rest. They have worked so hard in the last few games and we want them fresh to come off the bench to help us finish the game.
“Hakim and Timo can show in this game that they deserve to be on the pitch.”
Ziyech scored the only goal of the game, with Werner providing the assist.