Chelsea's Tiemoue Bakayoko says he still needs to 'get into the rhythm of the Premier League'

Strong start | Bakayoko impressed on his debut
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Vaishali Bhardwaj22 August 2017

Tiemoue Bakayoko says he is happy with his Chelsea debut against Tottenham, but insists he still needs to get used to the pace and physicality of the Premier League.

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte decided to rush Bakayoko back from a knee injury for the champions' clash against Spurs at Wembley on Sunday due to his lack of options in midfield.

There, Bakayoko played the full 90 minutes as the Blues secured a 2-1 win over their fierce London rivals.

The midfielder, who joined Chelsea in a £40m move from French side Monaco in July, described his first outing for his new club as "mixed" but believes his best is yet to come once he fully settles into the rhythm of the English top-flight.

Speaking to SFR Sport, Bakayoko said: "Yeah, I held on. Of course, it wasn’t easy, I needed to get the rhythm. The Premier League is so different from Ligue 1.

"I got to see it from the first minutes. So I needed to be ready. In general, I’m a little bit mixed about my game. I had some good moments, but some bad moments too.

In Pictures | Tottenham vs Chelsea | 20/08/2017

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"Like I said, I need to get the rhythm. It was first match since the injury so, it will come, but I’m happy overall."

When then asked about his Chelsea debut, the 23-year-old said: "It was something special. It was my first match coming back from my injury.

"Since I signed, I was looking forward to wear that shirt. That’s done now, I’m really happy and we won too so it was a very good day.

"I'm happy for the team, we get our first three points so it’s great for the future."

"I didn’t expect to play 90 minutes on the pitch."