Thomas Tuchel selected Malang Sarr to start at left back in a back four yesterday against Tottenham, and while giving Marcos Alonso a break was certainly part of that decision, there was a tactical element too.
If Tuchel didn’t trust Sarr, he could easily have played Alonso, who will now have a two week rest in any case. But the German coach went with the centre back playing out of position, and he wasn’t disappointed.
In fact, Sarr was so good as a solid, left footed option who kept things tight on the left and dropped in to centre back when needed, that he may now be a real option for the rest of this season.
Given Chelsea are not willing to pay any significant sum for a left back this January, it’s easy to see a situation where nobody who is available for free or on loan offers a better option than the Frenchman.
He’s limited, and out of position, but he’s competent, physically excellent and already settled in to the team’s system.
Will we be able to find someone better in the last week of the window, without paying? It feels increasingly unlikely, and the better Sarr does, the more he will appeal to the club as an option for the rest of the campaign.
