Trevoh Chalobah has been limited of playing time in recent months and he can feel hard done by as Thomas Tuchel opts for other options in the Chelsea defence.
The 22-year-old has seen himself frustratingly on the bench for five of Chelsea’s last six Premier League matches, featuring in just one – that came against West Ham in the 1-0 win at the end of April.
However, that was only due to Andreas Christensen pulling out of the squad in the warm-up due to stomach cramps. It was luck, not by outright selection from Tuchel.
Tuchel has opted to choose defenders who are leaving the club – Andreas Christensen (not fully confirmed) and Antonio Rudiger – while Cesar Azpilicueta hasn’t been at the races and could also be heading for the exit doors.
Malang Sarr has been chosen ahead of Chalobah too, and that continued against Wolves when the Frenchman was drafted off the bench to make a second-half appearance.
Tuchel was the one to block Chalobah’s loan departure last summer to give him his chance in the side and his excellent start to the season was rewarded.
Chalobah has made errors here and there in games he has featured in, but with the way the Chelsea defence is right now, he deserves minutes, he deserves a chance to stake his claim. Tuchel isn’t giving him that, despite his promise prior to the defeat to Arsenal last month.
“It’s hard decisions at the moment,” admitted the Chelsea head coach. “Maybe he feels these decisions are against him but for other players. We had recently Reece James playing in his position in the back three because of his physicality, his speed against key players on the left side from opponents.
“Trevoh played a lot and a very, very good season so far. He had a little dip of form some weeks ago but since many weeks he is back in full shape in training.
“We had a talk recently that I cannot prove it with minutes and game minutes in the moment but he is exactly in the level where he was at the beginning of the season.
“It’s impressive because he overcame this kind of period where things felt a bit more difficult for him during the winter period. He had some mistakes, was not so comfortable on the pitch and reliable like used to be.
“Now he is back to full strength. He needs to be patient. Thiago is in full shape, Andreas Christensen is back from injury, Reece played in his position.
“These are the reasons. Pretty normal. For me he is taking it very well, trains excellent. This is what we demand from him. I think he will see it with minutes in the next matches.”
Since the Arsenal loss, Chalobah has played one match, that was against West Ham, as previously mentioned down to Christensen’s last-minute withdrawal.
Tuchel will have his reasons for leaving Chalobah out, who features for the U23s on Sunday afternoon against Spurs as they look to avoid relegation to Division 2 of Premier League 2.
But statistics, as provided by WhoScored, prove that Chelsea are better with the central defender than without.
🔵 Chelsea's Premier League record with / without Trevoh Chalobah starting this season:
🙋♂️ Apps – 15 / 20
✅ Wins – 12 / 7
🤝 Draws – 3 / 7
❌ Defeats – 0 / 6
⚽️ Goals scored per game – 2.47 / 1.65
🥅 Goals conceded per game – 0.47 / 1.20
📊 Points per game – 2.60 / 1.40 pic.twitter.com/5M0CyAiYjE— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) May 8, 2022
With Chalobah, they get 2.6 points per game. Without, it’s much lower at 1.4. Chelsea are yet to lose in the Premier League this season when Chalobah started (15 times), compared to the six defeats from the 20 times he has started.
It’s been a successful season for Chalobah, there’s no denying it. But the frustrations are justified at the business end of the season. He should be getting more of a look in. But ultimately, it’s down to Tuchel, he is in charge of those decisions.
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