Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel praised Kalidou Koulibaly’s debut as “amazing.” despite losing a 4-0 preseason friendly loss to Arsenal at Camping World Stadium on Saturday.
The 31-year-old Senegal international, who joined Chelsea from Serie A champions Napoli, made his debut in Florida with only 20 minutes remaining.
However, he was unable to aid his team as they were heavily thrashed by goals from Gabriel Jesus, Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, and Albert Sambi Lokonga.
See Also: Watch Gabriel Jesus Scores Amazing Goal Against Chelsea
Koulibaly missed Chelsea’s loss to Charlotte FC earlier in the USA trip, which was followed by the Arsenal encounter.
Thomas Tuchel responded as cited by the club’s official website when asked to explain the defender’s brief aesthetic: “He was the best player. He was incredibly good I have to say.”
A Chelsea debut. 🇸🇳
🔵 0-3 🔴 [85] #BluesInTheUSA pic.twitter.com/vHXtGX2o5v
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) July 24, 2022
Thomas Tuchel clarified when asked if Koulibaly’s play had given him greater hope: “On an evening where nothing felt good, this felt very good.”
Tuchel went on to concede that his team lost the game to an organized Arsenal.
“We deserved to lose which is fair enough because we were simply not good enough,” he said adding: “We were simply not competitive.
“The worrying part is that the level of commitment physically and mentally for this match was far higher for Arsenal than for us. They played I think what is their strongest line-up and structure that you see now for several weeks.
“This was the line-up they will try to start for Premier League games.”
After an unimpressive preseason, Thomas Tuchel admits it is absurd to compare Chelsea with the Premier League’s two great sides. Liverpool also pulled ahead of the Blues.
The Senegal international was Chelsea’s key second summer purchase in the ongoing summer transfer window.
On Friday, Chelsea will play their final preseason match against Udinese at Dacia Arena before commencing their Premier League campaign on the road on August 6 against Everton at Goodison Park.
COMMENTS