Thomas Tuchel said Kalidou Koulibaly endured some "difficult moments" in Chelsea's 2-2 draw with Tottenham on Sunday, although the center-back had a good scoring opportunity.
The west London side twice lost the lead to the Spurs in a match marked by repeated clashes between Antonio Conte and Tuchel.
Annoyed by a consistent lead, Chelsea felt bad and offside ahead of Tottenham's first equalizer, while Christian Romero pulled Mark Cucurella's hair just before Harry Kane equalized in injury time.
Koulibaly made his home debut and was impressive. He opened the scoring with a brilliant volley after really opening from a corner in the first half. The Senegal international earned praise from Chelsea fans for his performance and ensured one of the Premier League's most prolific three-pointers remained relatively subdued - at least until Kane's late goal.
While Tuchel was delighted with the performance of his new signings - and the team as a whole - he felt Koulibaly struggled in the early stages of the game.
Asked how pleased he was with Koulibaly's performance, Tuchel told Chelsea TV: "I'm happy with everyone and Caly had some difficult and dangerous moments in the early preparations because I thought the pitch was a bit dry.
"But overall he's a top player and you can see that."
Tuchel was pleased with his side's performance, with Chelsea dominating the opposition for most of the match, pushing them back into their own half but their hard work was robbed by a poor referee.
When asked if he thought Chelsea deserved all three points, Tuchel replied: "Yes, but it happens. It happens in the life of a football coach and a football team.
"Sometimes in football and as a player you get caught up in the last minute and we hope to steal points and be important players throughout the season. That can happen. But that can't happen when we have VAR at that level. Irregular gates should not be allowed. It's a disappointment and it's unacceptable.
"I think we know what we are doing, the players know what they are putting into the game mentally and physically. We were very sharp, fully committed, and made a brilliant game.
“What a step forward for us from the first game against Everton. I'm disappointed with the players because they didn't get the award. It really boils down to a great choice. ”
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