Thomas Tuchel has admitted that he is ‘disappointed’ and ‘angry’ after Chelsea had a request to postpone their match against Wolves on Sunday rejected by the Premier League.
Chelsea were forced to name just six substitutes against Wolves, with two of those being goalkeepers Kepa Arrizabalaga and Marcus Bettinelli.
Trevoh Chalobah was also forced to play in central midfield due to Tuchel’s lack of options in that area of the pitch, with N’Golo Kante being rushed back from injury to play alongside him.
Tuchel confirmed in his pre-match press conference on Friday that Romelu Lukaku, Timo Werner, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ben Chilwell had all tested positive for Covid-19.
It is understood that more players have since tested positive, with the west London club asking the Premier League to postpone the match.
However, this request was rejected on Sunday morning, leaving Chelsea with no option other than to play the game with a depleted squad.
Speaking after the Premier League’s decision was confirmed, Tuchel told BBC Sport: ‘I am worried from a medical point of view, we have had four days of consecutive tests.
‘How will it stop if we are in a bus together and in meetings. We are disappointed, we are a bit angry.
‘We applied to not play and put the situation under control and it was rejected.
‘It is very hard to understand it, we are concerned about the health of the players.
‘We end up with players who play coming from injuries and we take the risk.’
The 20 Premier League clubs are set to meet on Monday to discuss options as coronavirus continues to spread across the UK.
.
.
Post a Comment