'Angry' Thomas Tuchel gave Chelsea's stars a dressing down

‘Angry’ Thomas Tuchel reveals he gave Chelsea’s stars a dressing down in a one-sided meeting after humblings by Real Madrid and Brentford, as he blasts their lack of ‘determination and investment’

• Thomas Tuchel was ‘angry’ with his Chelsea stars after their back-to-back losses
• The Blues were blown away by both Brentford and Real Madrid inside five days
• But the German held a team meeting on Thursday and aired his grievances
• Chelsea take on Southampton on Saturday, hoping to return to winning ways 

Thomas Tuchel has revealed he was ‘angry’ with his Chelsea stars after their back-to-back home defeats by Brentford and Real Madrid and gave them a dressing down in a team meeting on Thursday.

The Blues were blown away twice in five days at Stamford Bridge this week in a pair of shock results that have dragged them back into the top-four race and put them on the brink of Champions League elimination.

Chelsea – known for their defensive resilience under Tuchel – conceded seven goals across the two defeats and go to Southampton on Saturday desperately hoping to turn the tide.

Thomas Tuchel was ‘angry’ with his Chelsea stars after their back-to-back home defeats

The Blues were blown away by both Brentford and Real Madrid at home inside five days

When asked how Tuchel addressed his players in the wake of their 3-1 Champions League quarter-final first leg defeat by Real Madrid, the German revealed he had held a frank discussion with them to air some grievances. 

Speaking on Friday, he said: ‘It was not a discussion type of meeting. More like I gave my point of view which is sometimes also necessary. 

‘We take the players’ view very seriously and often into account but after the last two games we felt we needed to give our point of view but behind closed doors in an atmosphere where everybody can take criticism.

‘I feel involved in a development like this. We don’t point fingers and we don’t look for guilty people. We are in this together but we needed to point out some things we are not happy with, like our defending. It was about the game.

‘It was about offensive principals in our game which we are lacking. Unfortunately and surprisingly we lacked structure in the last game, which is normally a big strength. That was not the case.

Karim Benzema scored a hat-trick as Real Madrid took a 3-1 lead in their European quarter-final

Christian Eriksen scored last week as Brentford ran riot in the second half at Stamford Bridge

‘It was a big problem. We lacked rhythm and repetition of attacks and discipline in attacking and positional discipline. That was a big disadvantage when counter pressing because we were not where we were supposed to be. 

‘That was more or less what we saw and we figured it out in detail. It’s not about general criticism, it’s details and situations and about trusting in the players. I love the players and group and love to be involved and think we can do better together.

‘I hope so and we have a lot of reasons to think so. There are a lot of reasons that can lead to things like this. It’s very bad timing and it came more or less came out of nothing.

‘Nobody was here and then we started losing matches and conceding goals. But it’s challenging and up to us to find solutions. We cannot worry too much, just have to refocus, keep our belief, stick together and digest it.

‘There are different types of reaction. We had a defeat against Liverpool to take but we were happy with the performance so the feeling after is different to Real and Brentford because I felt we gave a huge opportunity away.

Tuchel insisted there is no bad blood and he challenge his squad to turn things around quickly

‘It’s not normal to play that sort of game and we were not at our level so we were angry. For me it’s best to express it like it is, don’t hide.

‘I had to face you and I wasn’t good at hiding my emotions because I felt we were so under our level and it was one of the worst moments to do so. I know how much better we can be and how untypical that performance is so that led to my reaction. 

‘I don’t know if it’s a turning point. You have to take care of the process, explain your reactions. I think the players understand it and can handle it if the manager is angry. I presented my reasons, nobody will lack love and appreciation for how they are as players but sometimes you have to handle it.’ 

Tuchel also backed goalkeeper Edouard Mendy to immediately put his error against Real Madrid behind him. 

The Senegalese No 1 left a pass to Antonio Rudiger short, allowing Karim Benzema to steal it off the German defender and score into an empty net.

Edouard Mendy made a big error when he gifted the ball to Karim Benzema, who scored easily

Tuchel added: ‘It’s life as a top goalkeeper. It’s a special position and once you play on this level and are successful then you’re in the spotlight. 

‘He’s won so many trophies and had such success that it’s even stronger now. He was never fully free from mistakes, we helped him maybe be better, sometimes a bit more lucky. 

‘Of course he can solve this situation much better and he knows it. It’s bad timing, in any match its bad, but in a quarter-final against Real it’s one of the worst moments you can do it because it’s so obvious.

‘This is what goalkeeping is about – to live with mistakes and go back and help your team. This is what he is made of and he can show he’s a true champion.’ 

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