Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has taken credit for the bold decisions made over the playing positions of Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic against Newcastle United.
The Blues beat the Magpies 1-0 at Stamford Bridge on Sunday afternoon, with Kai Havertz's goal sealing the win for his side in the 89th minute.
As the game edged closer towards a stalemate, Tuchel made the choice to play Ziyech and Pulisic at wing-back to add more attacking presence in their search for a winner.
Speaking to the media after the game, via football.london, Tuchel spoke on such decisions as he celebrates a crucial win for his side.
"The manager had to have some balls to make these decisions! As you are aware, we started with a 4-1-4-1. Azpi (Cesar Azpilicueta) was out, Reece James was out and Callum (Hudson-Odoi) played there (at wing-back) and was out.
"Pulisic came from some days off feeling sick so we struggled to find a right wing-back. Marcos struggled through his corona times and we were not sure if he could make it so we started in a 4-1-4-1.
"In the second half, it was a back five. Malang (Sarr) is good in defending but we took the risk on the left side to be more offensive. We defended against their strikers in more of a three against three. Jorginho was the man in front of the back three to control counter attacks and long balls.
"Hakim did it against Tottenham who had a back five and it was a bit of the same situation as against Tottenham in one of the four games we played recently. It is not their best position but it is a bit easier for a player like Christian to do it when they come into the match.
"We took the risk to increase the offensive threat with some runs. In the end, we have a run with Kai and Christian Pulisic to arrive in the box. In the end, I am happy because Malang was important for defending set-pieces and it was a bit of a gamble.
"The game was a draw and I thought, okay, we are risking the point now but if we lose we only lose a point. But we could win two more points so we took it. I am happy because the impact from the bench was very strong with Kova strong, Christian was strong and Romelu gave us more presence."
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