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Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has come out in support of German duo Timo Werner and Kai Havertz following their impressive performances for the club over the last few weeks. The German manager has ruled out the possibility of Werner and Havertz following the same path as Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne.
Timo Werner and Kai Havertz struggled to settle into the Premier League earlier in the season. They could not effectively adapt to the speed and the physicality of the English game.
Thomas Tuchel went as far as comparing the duo to former Chelsea midfielder Kevin De Bruyne. The Belgian joined Chelsea from Genk in 2012 and struggled to make an impression with the Blues.
He was later sold to Wolfsburg for £18 million in 2014, where he became one of the best midfielders in the Bundesliga.
De Bruyne earned himself a move to Manchester City in a deal worth £54 million in 2015 and has since helped the club win two Premier League titles. De Bruyne is widely considered to be one of the best midfielders in world football.
The sale of De Bruyne remains one of Chelsea's biggest regrets in recent history. Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has revealed how happy he is that De Bruyne has reached his potential but doesn't want Werner or Havertz to follow the Belgian's career path.
The German duo have turned things around in recent weeks after putting in several impressive performances in the Premier League and Champions League. Havertz was crucial in Chelsea's second-leg win over Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-final. The attacking midfielder hit the crossbar twice and was an aerial threat throughout the game. Timo Werner's presence was felt when he opened the scoring in the second leg.
Speaking about Kevin De Bruyne's career path, Thomas Tuchel said:
"I don't know, I wasn't here. I can just say that you can get caught up in the thoughts that it was a big mistake to let him go, but you never know. You don't know what would have happened if he would not have changed the club back to Germany from Chelsea and then back England after that."
He further spoke about the rigors of the Premier League and how it is difficult for all players to adjust to:
"This league is the best here to challenge every player and coach art the highest level in football. You have two possibilities, you step up or you don't."
Thomas Tuchel backs Kai Havertz and Timo Werner to be successful at Chelsea
Tuchel also spoke about Werner and Havertz's decision to challenge themselves in one of the toughest domestic football leagues in the world. The German coach liked the mentality shown by the players:
"If you don't, you don't make it in this league and that's why I am very happy that Timo and Kai both stepped out of their comfort zone and took this adventure, this huge challenge, come to England, go abroad in the hardest league and go to a club with a real winning mentality."
Despite their poor form at the start of the year, Thomas Tuchel has shown massive faith in Kai Havertz and Timo Werner to produce the goods for Chelsea as they approach the business end of the season.
Regarding the acclimatization process for players who have recently joined the Premier League, Tuchel said:
"For some, it is faster and for others, it is slower, but as long as they are Chelsea's players, they get our full support."
