In the first leg of the Premier League Cup semi-finals, Chelsea beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-0. Looking back at this game, the most surprising thing is definitely the new signing Saul who joined on loan. In The absence of N'Golo Kante, he started the game and propped up Chelsea's midfield defence. Thinking of Saul's disastrous performance at the beginning of the season, fans sighed: fortunately, Tuchel insisted on trusting him and did not heed the advice of the celebrities to terminate the loan agreement early.
It all started this summer. Considering that Jorginho's agent has been clamoring to bring players back to Serie A, Kante's injuries are increasing, and young midfielders such as Chick Barkley are embarrassingly useful, Chelsea management decided to take advantage of the summer window to strengthen the midfield. Unfortunately, the plan could not catch up with the changes, and rice, Joan Ameni and Camaranga, who had been favored, could not win. As the summer window drew nearer, the club's management finally decided to loan Saul from Atletico. With the official announcement of the deal, Chelsea fans began to look forward to the "Jokan Dog" iron triangle combination in the Premier League.
Unfortunately, it backfired, and Saul's performance was far below the expectations of Chelsea fans. Due to the inability to adapt to the intensity of confrontation and the rhythm of attack and defense in the Premier League, Saúl on the field often counterattacked by the opponent because of the slow half-beat of passing the ball, and it was difficult to advance through the half and repeatedly missed the fighter. Even more speechless, he began to avoid kicking football in fear of confrontation.
On one side, Saul played crotch pull, and on the other side, Both Cheek and Barkley exploded. While the two of them were reused by manager Tuchel, Saul's chances of playing in the same position were sharply reduced. As a result, his German turnaround price fell from 70 million euros when he first joined Chelsea to 35 million euros. Glenn Johnson and other celebrities have called on Chelsea to terminate the loan agreement early. Some radical fans even denounced Saul as a parallel waste of firewood.
Fortunately, manager Tuchel did not give up on Saul. Whenever he was interviewed, he openly supported the Atletico midfield, even if it was not the reinforcement he had asked for. Thanks to Tuchel's trust and expectations, the undeterred Saul trained harder and adapted to the Premier League. With this persistence, he played better and better in the limited playing time, and as a result, he got more opportunities to play.
Take the Premier League Cup semi-final with Tottenham, where Kante was diagnosed positive for COVID-19 before the match. Considering to Spurs' strength in midfield, manager Tuchel decided to send Saul to start. According to post-match statistics, Saul made three interceptions and six steals in the 73 minutes of the game. Such excellent defensive stats make him the "white Kante" in the mouths of fans. In addition to doing a good job in defense, Saul, who actively participated in the attack, also played a key role. With a good offensive and defensive performance, he received a post-match rating of 7.6, and tied with Alonso for the first place in the team. After the game, Chelsea fans rejoiced: fortunately, they did not listen to the media and celebrities to send Saul away in advance.
Think about it, with the outbreak of the epidemic again, chelsea, which is competing for the title on multiple lines, has a huge pressure to employ people. Especially in the midfield, several positions are lit up with red lights. In this case, Saul, who is in a warmer state, will shoulder more responsibilities. After all, when Simeone was coaching Atletico, he was successfully transformed into a golden oil in the midfield. It is no exaggeration to say that whether Chelsea can compete for the title on multiple lines to the last moment, Saul's role is crucial!