'A brilliant performance" - Thomas Tuchel 'super happy' with Chelsea’s display against Brentford
The EFL Carabao Cup quarterfinals saw Thomas Tuchel's Chelsea defeat Brentford. After the match, the German manager was pleased with his team's performance and stated that it was a brilliant result for them.
Chelsea came into the match with most members of the squad still recovering from COVID-19. Therefore, Thomas Tuchel had to name three academy players - Harvey Vale, Jude Soonsup-Bell and Xavier Simons - in the starting eleven. During the first half of the game, Chelsea seemed offbeat whereas Brentford were firing on all cylinders.
Thanks to a stellar performance from Spanish goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, the Blues were able to keep Brentford at bay. During the second half, Tuchel decided to bring on the likes of Reece James, N'Golo Kante, Mason Mount, Christian Pulisic and Jorginho to turn the tie. Chelsea eventually won the game 2-0 thanks to an own goal from Pontus Jansson and a penalty from Jorginho.
No mistake. 🥶 https://t.co/xB0KsYssgy
After the match, Thomas Tuchel attended the post-match press conference and praised his team's performance against a tough Brentford side. Tuchel lauded his players for a strong display and added that he was happy with the result.
"We had a brilliant performance and a brilliant result, given the circumstances. We were very disciplined, very structured and had individual quality. Well done to the boys. I'm super happy," said Thomas Tuchel.
The German coach was also impressed with the three academy prospects who made their senior debut last night.
"The three boys did well. They did not train for a week because the academy was closed, then we invited them to train with us for two days. They listened carefully and did their job. And the seven guys that played with them supported them. They did well and were involved in a good performance."
Thomas Tuchel and Chelsea will face Tottenham in the semifinals of the Carabao Cup
One of the semi-finals of the EFL Carabao Cup will be a London derby as Chelsea face Tottenham Hotspur. Antonio Conte's men defeated West Ham 2-1 to book a spot in the semi-finals of the cup. Tuchel, who knew his team would be facing Spurs, talked about the matchup in the post-match conference.
Carabao Cup Semi-Final draw:
Arsenal vs Liverpool
Chelsea vs Tottenham
🍿 https://t.co/jICWJingtE
"It was clear it was always going to be a strong draw, with four tough teams, but Tottenham is nice for our fans. It's a London derby and we're looking forward to it."
The last time Chelsea and Tottenham went head to head, the Blues had a comfortable win against Spurs as they triumphed 3-0.
Since that game, a lot has changed at Spurs as the club have sacked former manager Nuno Espírito Santo and replaced him with Antonio Conte.