Thomas Tuchel sends striking message to Chelsea's forwards
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel made it clear to his strikers that he expects more from them after the Blues scored through defenders Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso in last night's 2-0 league win over Burnley.
Azpilicueta was entrusted with a place in Chelsea's starting line-up by Tuchel in his two games since replacing Frank Lampard and the Spaniard scored with an angled shot in the 40th minute after sprinting 80 metres to seize on a lay-off by Callum Hudson-Odoi.
Alonso, playing for the first time since last September, secured the win at Stamford Bridge in the 84th minute when he controlled a pass from Christian Pulisic with his chest and knee before blasting a shot past Burnley goalkeeper Nick Pope.
"It should be a signal to our guys up front that we needed two defensive players to score," Tuchel told BT Sport after his first win as Blues manager.
"We lack... precision in the last pass... in the finishing. We will work (on) this, absolutely."
The German manager said Timo Werner, who started along with Tammy Abraham, was suffering from a lack of confidence. "He's not the only striker in the world who is very sensitive when he does not score," said Tuchel.
In contrast, Hudson-Odoi and fellow Blues academy product Mason Mount were at the heart of the Blues' best moves.
The win lifted Chelsea - who drew 0-0 with Wolverhampton Wanderers in Tuchel's first game last week - up to seventh in the table, 11 points behind leaders Manchester City. Burnley slipped to 16th. - REUTERS
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