Prior to kick-off in yesterday’s encounter with Liverpool, Thomas Tuchel explained as part of the decision-making process that led to Romelu Lukaku’s omission from the squad he had spoken to some senior players.
Following the match, our head coach lifted the lid on his thinking behind that part of his management technique.‘I take decisions for the team and I have players to listen to and hear their opinion and what they think, and I make my decisions once I hear them out,’ Tuchel explained. ‘It's their club, it’s their team. It's not a personal thing for me to decide only because of my beliefs.
‘We have a squad to protect and a squad which is strong, with strong beliefs and strong values,’ he added. ‘So this is how we take decisions not only this time but from regularly speaking to five or six players to get the inside view, to have a clearer evaluation of the situation and to take a decision on a bigger foundation.’