Thomas Tuchel on Andreas Christensen FA Cup final absence: “I don’t think that he did not want to play, he was not able to. It’s a big difference”; Christensen could already played in the final game for Chelsea in the event of doubts about his the possibility of playing in the last two fixtures of the season.
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has clarified Andreas Christensen was not able participate during the FA Cup final as opposed to refusing to take part.
Christensen was not present on Saturday when Chelsea were beaten 6-5 in penalty shootouts to Liverpool in the final at Wembley twice this year in consecutive domestic cup finals.
Tuchel explained the way Christensen had informed him that the club that he was not available to be selected in the morning of the match, but tried to prove that the defender was not refusing to take part.
- Chelsea 3-1 Liverpool (5-6 pen) Report on the match
- Christensen took a step down from the FA Cup final
“Andreas came in the morning of the match to speak to me and tell me he was not ready to play the match, start the match, or be on the bench,” Tuchel stated prior to the match on Thursday. Premier League match against Leicester.
“He was able to justify his decision; They are kept private and secret. But this wasn’t the first time that this happened, as you’ll see in the past few weeks, that we faced some of similar situations in which it was impossible for him to play often.
“We thought that we were in a good progression and development because he played very strong in the match before the final against Leeds, but a conversation took place, we had to respect it, we of course respected it.”
He added: “I don’t think that he did not want to play, he was not able to. It’s a big difference.”
Tuchel insists he won’t consider Christensen’s case as personal The 54-cap Denmark player still member of the Chelsea team.
“We had to accept it and we will accept it,” the player said. “I do my best to can to not take this personally. I do believe Andreas was keen to participate in these games, and I believe he is a player of potential and capability.
“And he was struggling in the last few weeks as you can observe the times he wasn’t playing in the team or was not taking part even though there was a physical availability. The problem was not entirely away from the blue sky.
“We thought we had prepared him the best way possible with a very impressive game at Leeds. He is a key player.”
However, there is doubt about whether or not Christensen during Chelsea’s two final games in the Premier League season, raising the possibility that he has already played his final game for Chelsea.
The 26-year-old was no longer contracted for Stamford Bridge at the end of the season. He has been the subject of speculation from Barcelona.
When asked whether Christensen will play with Leicester in the Thursday game or Watford on the last day of the season Tuchel said: “I’m not sure if he’s involved tomorrow or at the weekend. He still has our support, but I’m not sure for tomorrow.”
Tuchel added: “It’s probably unlikely [he will feature at the weekend]. It was very short notice before the cup final, and not only before this match but with others in the weeks before. There is no chance I have any prediction what will be tomorrow or the weekend.”
