Tuchel admits this player is struggling at Chelsea but …

Chelsea manager and Germany international Thomas Tuchel has admitted that Saul Niguez, who the Blues signed on loan last summer from Atletico Madrid is struggling at Stamford Bridge.

This comes as Saul has failed to repeat his impressive form, which he had Atletico Madrid at Chelsea since joining.

Despite Saul’s performance, Tuchel has appealed to Chelsea fans to be fair about their hatred for the midfielder as he stressed that he is not the first and wouldn’t be the last player to struggle in a new club.

“Does [Saul] feel that he is in the same role and responsibility as he had at Atletico? No, maybe not yet. Does he struggle? Yes, he struggles,” Tuchel acknowledged to reporters.

“Was he the first player to struggle in the Premier League? No and he won’t be the last one. We protect our players and I will protect our players always. He played yesterday as a No.6, No.9 and as a wing-back.

“Is that fair to him? No, also it is not. Put it into context and you will have a more moderate picture and reaction. I understand people are disappointed after yesterday but reactions like this are the reasons why I am not involved on social media.

“It is why I protect myself and you can get carried away. I can only hope Saul does not read it and why should he? He knows what he needs to do to improve and he is doing everything.

“He struggles at the moment and we are still trying to find the best version of him and will not stop pushing.”