Thomas Tuchel heaps praise on Chelsea star Kovacic; 'It is a joy to be his coach'

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has spoken in high praise of Mateo Kovacic and expressed his admiration for the midfielder. Speaking at a pre-match press conference ahead of Chelsea's clash against Newcastle United, the boss was asked about the team news and Mateo Kovacic in particular.

"You have just reminded me, he suffered a hamstring injury in training and will be out for some weeks," he said further adding that he was fortunate to have a player with such huge potential.

"He is a fantastic team player, I was a huge fan of him at Real Madrid. I remember him at Clasicos, I saw such big potential in him. He has such a passion for training, it is a joy to be his coach. We want to simplify his game a little bit and not look for a third or fourth solution as he already has a first and second."

Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City in a three-way battle for PL Title?

The coach further spoke about the title race. When asked if it would be a three-way battle between his side (Chelsea), Liverpool and Manchester City, Tuchel said that he will not make a prediction. However, he insisted that his team will be challenging for the trophy.

"Maybe, maybe not. We are just focused on us. Liverpool and City have set the standards and have shown how many points you need and how consistent you have to be. It is a fantastic effort what they have done so it is on us to challenge them to join the race. There are lots of teams out there hungry for points, so no prediction from me."

Thomas Tuchel also was asked about his team's defence. He said that defence was one of the keys to winning the title and admitted that the Blues have a lot of work to do in that area despite them having the best defensive record in the league.

"It's one key [to winning the title] but there are lots more keys but yes, it is one. Let's be honest, we were relying a little bit too much on the performances of our goalkeepers this season. We believe that we can overcome them, we have this experience, we are a tough team to create chances and to score against but still, we have to work on it. The game is so complex." he said.

Image: AP