THOMAS TUCHEL has revealed his anger and frustration that Chelsea find themselves in a midfield crisis.
The Blues visit Southampton tomorrow short of options as Conor Gallagher is suspended after a red card against Leicester on Saturday while N’Golo Kante is still out with a thigh injury.
Tuchel is left with midfielders Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic – who has only just returned after a knee problem – and Ruben Loftus-Cheek who has been playing at wing-back.
The German coach said: “Midfield is normally the area I would love to have a headache about who plays and who is on the bench.
"This is the area where I thought we would have five players that could all play for us and also have Carney [Chukwuemeka] on top as an option as a young player.
“The headache before the season was whether we had too many players there but it comes to the fifth game and maybe we only have two left with experience in this position and Kova from the bench because he is not ready to play full matches at Premier League level as he only had a week after training after his injury.
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“It’s a strange situation and a situation we don’t like. I don’t know why we are in this situation, actually. It’s like this and our team selection is something to think about. Or maybe not because it’s so obvious who we have left.”
Chelsea still hope to be busy in the transfer market over the next few days but Tuchel, whose side beat Leicester 2-1 on Saturday, will be glad when the transfer window shuts.
He said: “Right now, I think we could need some more players in some positions, but it’s very close to the end of the transfer window and when September 1 comes, I will be a happy coach no matter what happens.
“From September 1, there are no more excuses and no more distractions. I am very, very happy when the transfer window is over because then we have different leverage to push players and then the commitment has to be 100 per cent, we will not accept 99 per cent.
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"The reality is that sometimes, in the last days of the window, you have to simply accept it no matter what you wish for.
“I will try to find solutions and not think about what might have happened or what could be. Everything that matters is reality and at the moment what mattered was finding a way to win against Leicester.
"What will matter at Southampton is the same, find a way to win, step up individually and push the team from my side. This is what we will do no matter if players will come or not.”
Tuchel claims he is expecting a tough match at St Mary’s with Saints losing 1-0 at home to Manchester United on Saturday lunchtime.
The Blues boss revealed: “I had the chance to watch the game of Southampton live and saw a very strong side. They had a huge turnaround at Leicester to win the game and you could see they gained a lot of confidence from it.
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“They conceded but they had a lot of touches in the box, a lot of shots against Manchester United and were very mobile upfront.
"What you can always expect in Southampton is a physical game, a running game, a high-intensity game. This is what it is. We need to recover well and be well prepared to repeat what we did last season.”
Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly will return from suspension against Southampton after his red card against Leeds.
Tuchel, who will also return to the touchline after a one-match ban, added: “He’s a fantastic player and fantastic personality. I am so happy with what I see. Not only that we convinced him to come to the club but how he behaves and trains.
"I see a lot of quality and everything that is needed to be a leading figure at Chelsea. He will be on the pitch at Southampton, he is a massive player for us and there’s no doubt about it.”
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