Thomas Tuchel has explained that Timo Werner was selected for the starting line-up because Kai Havertz and Hakim Ziyech lack a little ‘bit of form’.
Chelsea’s boss made four changes from the side that won 3-0 against Tottenham last week, with Edouard Mendy, Reece James, N’Golo Kante and Werner all coming into start the game.
Most Blues fans expected Mason Mount - who was ruled out of the game through injury – to be directly replaced by Werner.
However, as he did against Spurs in the second-half last weekend, Tuchel decided to add in another central midfielder, to help add a little more balance and control to Chelsea’s play.
That ultimately led to Havertz being sacrificed from the starting line-up in a bold decision by the Blues head coach.
Speaking to BT Sport before the game, Tuchel explained his decision: “Timo [Werner] is a good fit because he brings a lot of intensity on and off the ball,” he said.
“This is what we need, maybe Kai [Havertz] and Hakim [Ziyech] lack a bit of form, confidence and that’s why we went for the mix of Timo with the speed and intensity of the ball.
“We’re happy that N’Golo [Kante] can play unfortunately Thiago [Silva] had some issues in training otherwise he would have started.
"We’re happy [and] we’re going to need everyone at their best level to be able to win it."
A win for Chelsea will mean that they go six points clear of City, and in what will be a huge statement, Tuchel will become the first manager to beat Guardiola in four consecutive games.
