Here are your Chelsea evening headlines for Sunday, February 14th.
Tuchel's Chilwell advice
Thomas Tuchel has admitted he can understand if Ben Chilwell has concerns about his spot in the Chelsea side going forward after the German replaced Frank Lampard.
Since Tuchel arrived, Chilwell was hauled off midway through the second half against Wolves and didn’t start again until the victory at Sheffield United as Alonso was brought back in from the cold, scoring against Burnley and starting the win at Tottenham Hotspur.
“Yes, if he is [worried] I can understand. He has had some difficult decisions against him where they were tight choices.
“I took the choice for Marcos where we played with a five [against Burnley] because he was more familiar with the position. He played there under Antonio Conte and we opted for Marcos against Burnley for his strengths in the air for headers to defend and attack set-pieces."
Predicted XI vs Newcastle
Our Chelsea writers have given their say on who they expect to feature in Thomas Tuchel's starting line-up against Newcastle United.
After wholesale changes in the FA Cup against Barnsley, a more familiar side is expected to take to the field against Steve Bruce's side tomorrow.
Edouard Mendy and Cesar Azpilicueta are among those returning, while Ben Chilwell could get the nod at left-back as the £50m man looks to push his way back into the first-choice XI.
How the team sets-up in attack will be an interesting one, with Tammy Abraham catching the eye in midweek but Timo Werner has shown signs of life recently.
Blues backed to leapfrog Liverpool
Former Chelsea defender Frank Lebeouf has backed Thomas Tuchekl's side to finish above defending champions Liverpool, if they improve in one key area.
“Yes, I believe Chelsea can finish higher than Liverpool if they improve their finishing,” the former France international told ESPN FC.
“Callum Hudson-Odoi is on fire and Tuchel is using him, hopefully some others are going to follow soon. Like [Hakim] Ziyech, [Timo] Werner, [Kai] Havertz, and maybe [Christian] Pulisic.
“[They have to] finish their actions better, otherwise Chelsea are going to struggle. They are strong defensively, but offensively, they are pretty poor.”
