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Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel offers Burnley warning as he seeks to preserve perfect run
Thomas Tuchel has warned his Chelsea players to expect an aerial bombardment from Burnley as he seeks to continue a perfect run before the international break.
The German has focused preparation this week on dealing with the long ball game he expects Sean Dyche’s Premier League strugglers to deploy at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
Special attention has been paid to winning second balls as well as aerial drills as Tuchel faces the side who provided him with a baptism of fire upon his arrival at Chelsea last season.
Burnley left an impression on the Chelsea manager in only his second game in charge after taking over in January, as he picked up his first win at the club.
Now they provide him with the chance to maintain a perfect record since the last international break, as well as a fifth straight win in the league.
It is a run that has left the European champions three points clear at the top, while six wins out of seven, plus a penalty shoot-out triumph in the Carabao Cup, has marked an outstanding period since back-to-back defeats to Manchester City and Juventus in September.
With players set to depart for World Cup qualifiers after the weekend, Tuchel is looking forward to the easing of an injury list that has not been able to disrupt their impressive form.
Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner are both close to returning from injury, while Mason Mount is expected to be back to face Burnley after illness ruled him out of the games against Newcastle and then Malmo in the Champions League in midweek.
N’Golo Kante was also left behind for the trip to Sweden to allow him a full week of recovery ahead of Burnley, when he could be key to Tuchel’s focus on winning second balls.
Christian Pulisic is also back after coming through his first Chelsea game since the opening match of the season unscathed.
Meanwhile, Trevoh Chalobah has vowed to make himself a prominent player at Chelsea after signing a new five-year deal.
The academy graduate has been rewarded for his rapid rise this season, which has seen him make 10 first-team appearances since Tuchel scrapped plans to send him out on loan.
Chalobah said: “I think for me the next thing is just getting as many games as I can and not stopping and not relaxing.
“I think that’s the worst thing, for me, for a player to sign a new deal and just to take their foot off the gas. I want to go further because I believe I can.”
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