Premier League legend Alan Shearer has heaped praise on Thomas Tuchel over his N’Golo Kante substitution against Tottenham.
Alan Shearer has recently reacted to Chelsea’s 3-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur, hailing Thomas Tuchel for his tactical brilliance as well as N’Golo Kante’s abilities in midfield.
Shearer’s comments come in the aftermath of Chelsea’s stunning second-half performance against Spurs, after initially drawing goalless at half-time. Tuchel then made the decision of introducing N’Golo Kante at the midway point, as the Frenchman replaced Mason Mount.
The move raised a lot of eyebrows, but it allowed Chelsea to operate with a 3-5-2. It not only gave them numerical superiority in the final third but also more assurance in possession, making it difficult for Tottenham to press them down in the middle of the park. It worked like a charm as the Blues ended the game with three second half goals, including one from Kante himself.
Tuchel’s decisions left a lot of pundits impressed and former Newcastle United forward Alan Shearer was no exception. The Match of the Day pundit hailed the German tactician and explained his decision to bring on Kante after the game.
“He [Kante] brought energy to that Chelsea team that was missing in the first half and well done to Tuchel for spotting that as half-time and changing it because they were just okay and they weren’t quite at it in the first half but the second half, it was men against boys. It should have been six or seven,” said Shearer, as quoted by football.london.
“What he did was that he enabled those two defenders, Azpilicueta and Alonso, much higher up the park and Tottenham really couldn’t cope with the energy that he brought into the team. He gave them a little bit of protection. It wasn’t all about him sitting in front of that back four, he offered something going forward because he got the goal as well,” added the 51-year-old.
Shearer’s comments certainly echo the current atmosphere around the Premier League, with Chelsea seemingly looking like the team to beat following Manchester City’s stumbling start to the league campaign. Kante’s return to full fitness could further strengthen their ranks ahead of their important match-up against the reigning English champions next weekend.
Meanwhile, Tottenham have come under flak by former Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane after being outclassed by Chelsea this weekend. The Lilywhites are now winless in their last three competitive appearances and it appears trouble could soon be heading their way.
