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Saul’s debut for Chelsea didn’t quite go as planned. The Atletico Madrid loanee made his first appearance for 'The Blues' in a Premier League fixture against Aston Villa.
Chelsea made another great addition to their squad this transfer window when they signed Saul on deadline day. Many experts see this as a good signing for Chelsea, something that could strengthen the squad even more.
Saul’s Debut
Saul marked his debut for Chelsea with a 3-0 win against Aston Villa. Saul, much to everyone's surprise, made his way to the starting eleven and joined Kovacic in midfield.
But it was not exactly the start Saul would have imagined it to be. The Spanish midfielder seemed loose on the ball and made a few blunders in defense, giving easy possession to the opposition at times. Luckily, those mistakes didn’t cost Chelsea much damage, and eventually, the hosts walked away with easy 3 points.
Saul was, although, replaced at halftime by Jorginho, who appeared to be much smoother and more stable on the ball. Saul later even admitted in his Instagram post about his poor performance.
How Chelsea coach Tuchel reacted on Saul's performance
Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel too didn’t appear pleased with Saul’s performance. In a post-match interview with reporters, he said:
"Well, it was hard to do it but I had the feeling he struggled, he had some big mistakes, passing mistakes, and errors and he struggled with the intensity and you could see that he has not fully adapted. So it is completely my responsibility, I thought that he can maybe just jump in and play for us on that level.”
It was not the debut that Saul would have had in mind but this is not the end of the day, it's still a long road ahead. It is not easy to compete in the toughest league in Europe.
We have already witnessed many athletes who have excelled in other leagues but ended up as a failure in the Premier League.
Tuchel and Chelsea fans will hope that is not the case with Saul. Maybe he was nervous, or he was not expecting such a high intensity of football. Whatever was the case, everyone expects Saul to bounce back in the upcoming games.
Saul is definitely someone who, on finding his rhythm, can be a game-changer for Chelsea. The elegant and versatile midfielder has already proven this during his spell at Atletico.
