Tuchel Opens Up on Chelsea's Struggles After Real Madrid Defeat

Chelsea's football team posing for a photo on the football pitch
Chelsea's football team posing for a photo on the football pitch
FILE

Wednesday's thrashing of Chelsea by Real Madrid in Champions League fixture has left the Blues fighting against the odds to progress to the semi-finals.

Only one of the previous 43 teams to trail by two or more goals in a Champions League knockout tie in the competition's history has managed to overcome such a deficit away from home.

Speaking to Sky Sports after their defeat, Chelsea’s manager, Thomas Tuchel admitted that his side hasn’t been itself after the international break. 

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He said their performance against Real Madrid was a repeat of the second half against Brentford and that was alarming.

On Saturday, April 2, Chelsea suffered a huge defeat, after being humbled by Brentford in match that ended 4-1.

"With everything the game demands, you cannot expect a result from this kind of performance. We were so far off our level, tactically, individually, in shape, in challenges. We tried to play in a new formation and killed the game off with a big mistake,” Tuchel stated.

Tuchel believes the manner in which Chelsea respond in Saturday's Premier League trip to Southampton will be important if they are to pull off an implausible turnaround in the second leg at the Bernabeu next week.

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"I worry more about Southampton than Real Madrid in the next week, there is my focus. First of all, we need to play Southampton,” Tuchel told Sky Sports

Additionally, worried tactician noted that if the team does not get their heads and legs straight and their mentality right then they will not win in Southampton and the tie will not be alive.

"If things change, maybe, but how many clubs in worldwide football won with what we need, three goals difference? How often did this happen? Maybe it's only realistic to answer like this."

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Brentford’s win was their first win against Chelsea since 1939 having scored three of their goals within 10 minutes of the second half and later adding a fourth goal.

 Earlier in March, Chelsea also lost  to Luton 3-2 loss.

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