Thomas Tuchel had private chat with Frank Lampard favourite to assure ace of Chelsea plans

Chelsea: Redknapp slams decision to sack Lampard

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Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has urged Ben Chilwell to ‘trust’ him amid the England left-back’s lack of action in recent matches. Experienced defender Marcos Alonso has mostly been preferred since Tuchel’s arrival, with Chilwell forced to settle for a spot on the bench in three of his side’s last five matches.

The 24-year-old was a regular starter under previous manager Frank Lampard, who signed him from Premier League rivals Leicester City during pre-season.

Tuchel has implemented a five-at-the-back formation in recent outings, with Alonso taking up the left-sided spot at Chilwell’s expense due to the Spaniard’s prior experience as a wing-back.

Despite being overlooked as of late, Tuchel has reassured the Milton Keynes-born defender that he still has a role to play at the club.

The German lifted the lid on a private conversation between the pair in which he praised Chilwell’s ability and acknowledged his potential to become one of the Premier League’s best full-backs.

“If he is anxious I can absolutely understand, because he got some difficult decisions, very tight decisions, against him,” Tuchel told reporters, speaking ahead of Monday’s clash with Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge.

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“We took the choice for Marcos Alonso in a game where we played with five because he was more familiar with the position he played under Antonio Conte.

“We opted for Marcos against Burnley for his strength in the air. Then Marcos had a very good match and scored a decisive goal, and from there it was hard to come back.

“We played Tottenham and did not make changes on this position. I had a talk with Ben before that match and told him, ‘You have to trust me now. I see your potential, I see your talent’.”

Chilwell has played in all but five of Chelsea’s Premier League matches this season, completing the full 90 minutes on 14 occasions.

It remains to be seen whether he will get the nod against Newcastle, but Tuchel has confirmed that he will be given more opportunities in future as the former Borussia Dortmund and PSG boss continues to establish his best team.

“I see with Chilly a very nice guy, a very reflective guy, an intelligent guy,” he added. “I feel in the first days that it is possible he thinks a lot about this situation.

“Hopefully not too much because he can have trust in himself first of all, and he can trust in us as a staff that we will keep on pushing him. We will find possibilities and we will look for possibilities to reward him.

“At the same time, we wanted to have a start where we are fair to everybody, to give everyone the feeling that this is a fresh start.

“Yes, if Marcos is the guy who took advantage of this situation, but this is not the end for Chilly’s development.”

Tuchel successfully ended Chelsea’s spell of poor form immediately upon his arrival, with the Blues yet to taste defeat under the 47-year-old’s leadership.

They have also conceded just once, against basement boys Sheffield United in last Sunday’s 2-1 win.

The Stamford Bridge club will be hopeful of making Newcastle their next victims on Monday, with star striker Callum Wilson set to miss out on the action after picking up an injury.

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