Thomas Tuchel’s message to Saul Niguez after dreadful Chelsea debut

Chelsea midfielder Saul Niguez has revealed what Thomas Tuchel told him after his disappointing debut against Aston Villa.

Saul, 26, joined the Blues on a season-long loan from Atletico Madrid on Transfer Deadline Day and was handed his first start against Villa last Saturday.

While the west Londoners eventually won out 3-0, Saul lasted just 45 minutes before he was hooked for Jorginho following a rude awakening to the Premier League.

The Spanish star received a shower of criticism online for his performance, with some fans branding his first-half showing as 'garbage' and 'embarrassing'.

Now Saul has opened up on what Tuchel told him after the game, revealing the German's message in conversation with transfer guru Fabrizio Romano on his Twitch stream.

Saul said that Tuchel gave him support, reassuring the 26-year-old and telling him not to worry about his debut by reaffirming his trust in his new signing.

It was a message the Chelsea boss repeated in public, explaining why the midfielder did not feature against Zenit St Petersburg in the Champions League.

He said: "It is not the moment after only two days to put him (Saul) in again.

What did you make of Saul's performance against Aston Villa? Let us know in the comments section.

"We trust him, it is no problem, but Jorginho is fresh, Kova had a fantastic game against Villa so it was more a decision for these two rather than against Saul.

"We have some strong guys on the bench and he is one of them."

Blues captain Cesar Azpilicueta, a close friend of Saul, also lent support to his under-fire team-mate.

"Of course, when he signed for Chelsea he had a bit of a stressful last hours in the transfer window, he arrived in a new country, had just a few training sessions, first game against a good opposition, they were very aggressive, it’s normal sometimes you need a bit more time to adapt," Azpilicueta said.

"His response has been absolutely spot on. His desire to improve, asking questions, he wants to adapt as quick as possible.

"Some players need more time than others, that’s completely natural.

"He has our full support. He’s a great addition, I’m very happy to have him in our team. I’m sure he’ll keep growing and help the team because we need it from everybody. I’m sure he’ll be an important player in the season."

Saul could make his second Chelsea appearance against Tottenham this weekend, but for now it seems more likely that he will start the game on the bench.

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