Thomas Tuchel hailed Malang Sarr’s display in the 1-0 victory over Tottenham but said he still has to ‘work hard and stay humble.’
Chelsea booked their spot in the Carabao Cup final on Wednesday as Antonio Rudiger’s first-half goal made it back to back victories over their rivals having won the first leg 2-0.
With Marcos Alonso given a rest on the bench this evening, 22-year-old Sarr was handed a start and helped his team to a clean sheet.
Sarr has played eight games this campaign but only one of them has come in the Premier League and despite Tuchel being pleased with his performance, it seems he has a while to wait before moving up the pecking order.
‘We did not play wing-backs but for me, he can play a full back in the position like today,’ he said. ‘He can play centre-back and in the left position of a back three. That’s where he is at the moment, he deserves to play.
‘He has played well when he was needed. I think he is very aware of his role, this is where he started and from there he takes what he can get. He needs to work hard, stay humble.
‘Nothing more. There is no need for further promotion, he is doing good, he is solid and he is consistent and that is what we need.’
Tuchel used a back four against Spurs, switching from his preferred 3-4-3 formation we’ve seen so often this campaign.
The German coach could choose to use a back four again when they take on Premier League leaders Manchester City on Saturday.
‘If it makes sense and we think it makes sense we can see it again. We have played it now twice and in both games we were very committed to the structure and very disciplined,’ he said.
‘So well done to the team, full credit to them that they are open to some adjustments that give us more options and maybe makes us a bit more unpredictable.
‘Of course, today we used it again for the build-up but defended in a back five. It’s good to have these options but it needs to fit into what we expect and which spaces we expect to find. We will decide from match to match.’
