"The most important thing is that Kepa [Arrizabalaga] deserves to play for a long time," said Thomas Tuchel ahead of what proved his final game in charge of Chelsea, a 1-0 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League. "It's a new competition so maybe a good moment for Edou [Mendy] to take a breath.
"He was a bit unlucky in the last games; not even bad, just unlucky. On top of that, Edou has some problems with the patella tendon. He is not 100% fit so we took the chance to give him a break and give confidence to Kepa for this game and the next game in the Champions League."
That decision was arguably Tuchel's last major call as the Blues'' head coach. And it's one that will have ramifications for the man who has replaced him in the Chelsea dugout: Graham Potter.
