Mateo Kovacic’s unrivalled role in the Chelsea eleven under Tuchel has been instrumental in establishing midfield superiority against opponents.
Speaking after the Newcastle United match, Tuchel labelled him ‘super-reliable’, saying he needs to calm down at training and citing him as someone who is a pleasure to have in the team.
Tuchel talking to Fifth Stand app about #CFC midfielder Kovacic: “I love him. I could wake the guy at 3 at night and he will be at Cobham at 3.15 ready to give everything. I need to calm the guy down in training, that he’s not doing too much. It’s a pleasure to have him.”
— Simon Johnson (@SJohnsonSport) February 16, 2021
His performance against Newcastle drew praise from far and out, as he registered 107 touches with a passing accuracy rate of 95.6% – the highest of the 22 players on the pitch. (whoscored.com)
If one clip could highlight his tenacious display in the 2-0 victory, it would be the Iniesta-like footwork – ‘La Croqueta’ – he employed to get past Newcastle’s Andy Carroll and leave the Englishman wondering as to where the former Madrid man took off.
So far this season, the Croat has made 29 appearances across all competitions, registering almost 1,800 minutes in total for the club. (transfermarkt)
Kovacic’s biggest test yet under Tuchel this season will arrive in the form of Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Champions League Round-of-16 1st leg next week.