Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel has admitted that he opted to rejig his Blues defence for this evening's Premier League clash against West Ham United to add some height to his backline.
Following Tuesday evening's goalless draw with Brighton & Hove Albion at Stamford Bridge, Tuchel opted to make six changes to his starting line-up.
Edouard Mendy, Cesar Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva, Ben Chilwell, N'Golo Kante and Timo Werner all returned to the starting line-up as Kepa Arrizabalaga, Reece James, Kurt Zouma, Marcos Alonso, Kai Havertz and Hakim Ziyech made way.
The biggest surprise in Tuchel's mass number of changes was the one that saw Azpilicueta deployed to right wing-back, allowing Silva, Christensen and Rudiger to form a three-man defence.
Azpilicueta has been key in Chelsea's back-three since Tuchel took charge, but the German made the decision to move him out wide to allow the back three to have a greater sense of size and stature.
Tuchel told Sky Sports: "We opted for some height in the back because we know about the strengths of West Ham at set-pieces, so we went with Toni [Rudiger], Andreas [Christensen] and Thiago [Silva] in the back-three, which is a bit taller than if Azpi [Azpilicueta] plays there.
"We gained some centimetres in defending set-pieces, that was the decision. There are a lot of changes from the last game, but if you see the games before, it’s a group that is used to playing with each other.
"I think we have a strong 11 on the pitch.”
This clash with the Hammers, of course, could go a long way in determining the outcome of the race for a top four finish. Both sides entered the contest level on points, meaning the outcome will be vital in both sides' season.
Despite that, Tuchel opted to take a relaxed approach ahead of kick-off, coolly playing down its importance.
“Well, it’s big but it’s not decisive, because there are some more matches to play," Tuchel added. "If you look at the schedule we have and the fixtures after that, you know that nothing is decided after this match.
"Still, we want to have the three points, we know very well how hard it is to steal three points against West Ham at their home ground, but still, we are prepared for that.
"We have a good record in away matches, we’ve been very, very solid in crucial games, so full trust for the players and we know we have to deliver a top performance.
