'Hungry' Blues please Tuchel
He wants Havertz to be more ruthless after fellow German nets in 4-1 thrashing of Palace
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LONDON • Thomas Tuchel praised his Chelsea side's response to last week's shock defeat by West Bromwich Albion after Saturday's impressive 4-1 Premier League victory away to Crystal Palace.
Two goals by Christian Pulisic and one each for Kai Havertz and Kurt Zouma secured Chelsea's biggest victory since the German replaced Frank Lampard in the Stamford Bridge hot seat in January.
Tuchel had enjoyed a 14-match unbeaten run since being hired in January until the 5-2 home loss to relegation battlers West Brom.
While it was a reality check, Chelsea have got back on track with a solid Champions League quarter-final, first-leg win over Porto before demolishing Palace.
"Everything was bad against West Brom. The result was horrible but the statistics were not as bad," Tuchel said.
"Today we were very hungry, full of confidence and wanted to play a very aggressive game in terms of high recoveries.
"We were totally focused. It was good with the attitude today. It's a part of our DNA to be aggressive and should be."
The win provisionally put the Blues back in fourth spot in the league and they remain favourites to clinch one of the four places which ensure Champions League football next season.
Since 2002-03, Chelsea have only twice failed to qualify for European football's premier club competition and Tuchel believes it is crucial for his side to keep their place among the elite.
Chelsea's Christian Pulisic jumps on Kai Havertz to celebrate putting the Blues 2-0 up against Crystal Palace, after his fellow midfielder had given them the lead. The American also scored the fourth goal.
PHOTO: AGENCE-FRANCE PRESSE
He said: "We had a setback last week but it is not the moment to look at other teams all the time. We are in the middle of the race."
If Chelsea are to finish the job with seven games remaining, they will need their expensive summer recruits to step up consistently.
Havertz has struggled to adapt to English football since his £71 million (S$130.5 million) move from Bayer Leverkusen - a club-record fee for an outfield player.
However, the 21-year-old produced one of his most effective games for Chelsea, scoring a well-taken goal, his first in the league since October, and setting up another for Pulisic soon afterwards to put Chelsea in control.
The challenge now is for Havertz to display his ability on a consistent basis, according to Tuchel.
"He needs to show his quality, it's as easy as that. Kai will never be our emotional leader and we don't expect that from him....
"There is still room to improve in finishing, he can be more ruthless, he should have scored more, but it was a good step and a good performance."
Pulisic too affirmed that the side are ready for the top-four fight. "It's going to be tight. We need to put some good results together. We're ready for this challenge," the American told the BBC.
REUTERS
