Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has revealed he will continue to support Edouard Mendy amid his recent mistakes in goal for the side.
The goalkeeper was at fault for Maxwel Cornet’s goal in the Blues’ 2-1 win against West Ham on Saturday, although the Senegalese international was lucky to see it disallowed via VAR.
Mendy has struggled in between the sticks for Chelsea lately, having conceded twice against Southampton during the week, and gifting Leeds United their first of three a couple of weeks ago.
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The Blues have kept just one clean sheet so far this season, and that came on the opening day of the Premier League season in their victory away at Everton.
After the win, Tuchel spoke on the goalkeeper’s mistake against the Hammers and his recent poor form, but revealed he will continue to support him through the rough patch.
When commenting on Mendy’s injury, he said: "He was in a lot of pain, and we have to see.
“It's too early to comment on that. I think at the moment he is a bit unlucky in what he is doing. In training, he is fantastic, and he is, in general, a very calm and self-reflective guy who is aware that he lacks a little bit of luck at the moment.
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"Things do not go in his favour. If he has maybe a situation where his action isn't 100% clear, he gets punished for it massively.
“He is just in this moment, and it feels like it's not so much his fault. I have the feeling because he tries everything, he is very calm and focused. We will keep on supporting him."
The goalkeeper might now be unavailable for Chelsea’s match against Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday night, their first Champions League tie of the season.
Michail Antonio gave West Ham the lead against the Blues thanks to his close range finish, with Mendy failing to deal with the danger just beforehand.
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Ben Chilwell then came off the bench and equalised soon after, before providing the assist for Kai Havertz’s winner right at the end.
Cornet soon saw his goal disallowed just moments later, ensuring Chelsea won all three points at Stamford Bridge.
Tuchel also spoke on Chilwell’s fitness amid his return to the side from injury, with the left wing-back spending the most of last season on the touchline.
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“Fitness, I think he has the full fitness he can have from training and pre-season matches.
“Of course, he can feel fitter and be fitter if he is playing in consecutive Premier League matches. In my opinion, he lacks rhythm and a bit of feeling from the game, this is what I see in training.
“The player always thinks he is ready, I think there are some things still missing.”
Chilwell’s goal was also his first since injury, taking him up to eight for Chelsea since he joined from Leicester City in 2020.
Topics: Thomas Tuchel, Edouard Mendy, Chelsea
Robert Calcutt