April 08, (THEWILL) – After a five-day stretch, in which Chelsea were beaten twice at home and shipped seven goals over both fixtures, head coach, Thomas Tuchel, has revealed that he rebuked his players in the aftermath of the losses.
THEWILL recalls that on Saturday, the Blues were trounced 4-1 by Brentford in the Premier League, before losing 3-1 to Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final four days later.
Tuchel revealed his players’ flaws during his pre-match press conference ahead of their return to domestic action against Southampton on Saturday, and insisted Chelsea could not take a third-place finish for granted.
Smiling sardonically, Tuchel said the talk he had with his players was tough: “It was not a discussion type of meeting, I gave my point of view.
“We take the players’ view very seriously and into account but over the last two games we thought it necessary to give our point of view – but behind closed doors where everyone can take criticism.
“We don’t point fingers, we don’t look for people who are guilty, we’re in this together but we needed to point out things in our game where we could have defended better. The offensive principles in our game, what we lacked doing.
Tuchel highlighted some of the team’s failings: “Surprisingly, we lacked structure in our last game. Then we lacked the rhythm and repetition of our attacks, the positional discipline in attacking. We lacked intensity and investment in our defending.
“It’s very untypical of us. We had a look into it, and talked to the team about it. We need to stop this kind of direction as soon as possible. And the best possibility is tomorrow [Saturday].
“It’s not like us to defend like this and concede so many goals. We didn’t see it coming because it wasn’t the case before the international break. It’s not easy to deal with because it doesn’t fit into a pattern.”
In the setback to Los Blancos in midweek, the German also bemoaned a “huge opportunity” that was missed by his side.
“We had a defeat against Liverpool and I was disappointed by the result but we were absolutely delighted with how we played, what a match it was,” he continued. “So the feeling the next day was very different to Brentford and Real Madrid.
“I felt like we gave a huge opportunity away [against Real Madrid]. It’s not normal to play quarter-finals in the Champions League. A huge night against a huge opponent and we did not bring our best level.
“So that’s why we were disappointed and angry. After the match I was not so good in hiding my emotions but I know how much better we can play, how atypical mistakes and the performances were for us.”
Tuchel also warned his team not to become complacent in their chase of third place in the Premier League, despite Tottenham moving up to fourth and reducing the gap on them during the weekend.
“I’m absolutely confident [Chelsea can finish third] but not as a given”, he said.
“We know how we have struggled through the season. I still feel the team can play on a very high level, but if we don’t reach it, we can lose to teams of any quality. We proved that in the last five days. That’s a reminder to us.
“We should not be ashamed to fight for third place. It’s a tough competition until the very last day. Do I feel confident? Yes because I have trust in my players and staff. But is it a given? No.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
