“Said he could not play” – Thomas Tuchel opens up on why Timo Werner was left on the Chelsea bench during FA Cup final defeat to Liverpool
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has revealed why Timo Werner didn't appear for the Blues in their FA Cup final defeat against Liverpool on May 14.
Tuchel's side suffered a demoralizing defeat on penalties (6-5) against the Reds. It was a sense of deja vu given that a similar result occurred in the Carabao Cup final in February. The Reds won 11-10 on penalties back then with the match ending goalless after 120 minutes like it did on Wednesday.
Chelsea lacked the killer instinct with the likes of Romelu Lukaku, Christian Pulisic and Marcos Alonso spurning great chances.
Werner was selected to be on the bench and many had expected the German forward to come on at some stage. However, he was an unused substitute as the likes of Hakim Ziyech, Ross Barkley and Ruben Loftus-Cheek were used instead.
The former RB Leipzig forward has come into form in the latter stages of the season. He has scored four goals in his last five Premier League appearances.
Tuchel has revealed why Werner played no part in the loss to Liverpool, telling reporters (via 90min):
"Timo was injured and uncomfortable during the warm-up and said he could not play."
Another German who missed the game through injury was Kai Havertz. The 22-year-old has been Chelsea's joint top scorer this season with 13 goals in 45 appearances across all competitions. He shares the top spot with Mason Mount, who has 13 goals in 52 matches.
Tuchel has shed light on the attackers injury issue that saw him miss the FA Cup final:
"Kai did not train yesterday because of hamstring problems and he thought if he trained he would injure himself. We left it until the last test this morning but it was not possible."
Turns out Werner was injured. Must say his hands seemed tied on substitutions to a certain extent.
Chelsea lack of threat against Liverpool shows a need to improve in attack
Chelsea had a host of chances during a pulsating FA Cup final but failed to convert. They had 10 attempts at goal but only two were on target.
It has highlighted an issue that has plagued the side throughout the season. The likes of Lukaku, Pulisic and Werner have often disappointed in front of goal.
In defense, Chelsea looked assured against Liverpool's potent attack but their forwards disappointed on the day.
Facts, these attackers are mediocre. Have endless chances and couldn’t score in a single one:
If any of them are here next season let alone starters we’ll be here next season saying the same thing over and over again,
Worst Chelsea attack in this century. twitter.com/showtimeutcblu…
The summer transfer window is already proving to be problematic for Thomas Tuchel as two of his defenders head for the Stamford Bridge exit.
Antonio Rudiger is headed to La Liga to join Real Madrid, as per Fabrizio Romano. Another report by the journalist claims that Andreas Christensen is set to join Barcelona.
There is also uncertainty over the future of Marcos Alonso, with Romano reporting that the Spaniard wants to move back to his home country.
Therefore, attending to the glaring problems in attack may not be the focus come summer, but it makes Tuchel's job much tougher heading into next season.