ARTICLES

“Happened again”- Tuchel explains how Chelsea were ‘punished’ vs Zenit after West Ham loss

Thomas Tuchel has urged Chelsea players to focus more after squandering the lead against Zenit on two occasions

Speaking in his post-match press conference, as quoted by the Daily Mail, Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has urged his side to concentrate after taking the lead on games following a subpar performance against Zenit.

The Blues had to win their game against Zenit to win their UCL group. They even got off to a rocking start as Timo Werner scored in the opening minute of the game. However, two goals before half-time by the Russian champions dissolved our early joy.

The reaction in the second half was commendable as Werner inspired a come-back by assisting the equalizer and scoring what should have been the winner. Unfortunately, we squandered possession in the final minutes of the game and Zenit equalised in added time.

Thomas Tuchel has urged his players to focus more after taking the lead against opponents. (imago Images)

Tuchel urged his players to focus after taking a lead and claimed the same incident happened against West Ham on the weekend.

‘We had a very good first 15 minutes, and we stopped doing the things we did in the first 15 minutes. We were forgetting why we were the better team because the level of concentration and physical investment was high enough to be the better team.

‘Once this drops, five, 10 per cent, and it does; once we start managing results and changing our behaviour from what the score is, we get punished at the moment. It happened to us at West Ham, and it happened again today… But once we have the lead we give it away again, like today.’

Tuchel knows what he is talking about

The gaffer has led the Blues to two titles in his 11-month managerial tenure at Stamford Bridge. He is obviously doing something right, but his instructions have been falling on deaf ears in the past couple of weeks.

Zenit managed to come back twice in a thrilling 3-3 draw against Chelsea on Wednesday night. (imago Images)

The performance in the 4-0 victory against Juventus was splendid, but we have suffered since that game. To put things into perspective, Chelsea had conceded only eight goals in all competitions up until facing Man United at the end of November.

Since then, we have conceded eight more in the last four games. The problems are clear as our midfielders are crucial to us and the protection they provide to the backline has been missing in their absence. 

More Chelsea News

Regardless, the winning mentality should not change, and the ability to hold on to a lead should be instilled into every player. We are competing on five fronts this season, and if we hope to lift each of those titles, the players need to avoid making such mistakes time and again. 

Zenit trailed twice but were allowed to get back into the game by us on both occasions. Thankfully, we are in the knockout rounds of the UCL this season but the club needs to work on their recent shortcomings if we want to defend our Champions League crown.

Varun Pai

Recent Posts

Noni Madueke praises Cole Palmer, and says he doesn’t have a ceiling

Chelsea winger Noni Madueke has sung the praises of his teammate, Cole Palmer, describing him as a player with extraordinary…

1 week ago

Fan Power: How Chelsea Fans Could Stop Stamford Bridge Move

Ask any matchday Chelsea fan who the CPO are, and they’ll tell you that it stands for the Chelsea Pitch…

3 weeks ago

Chelsea and Arsenal in pursuit of €427,308 per week striker

Chelsea and Arsenal are reportedly planning to make a signing move for the Juventus Center forward in winter.

3 weeks ago

Former Arsenal star raves about Chelsea’s midfield maestro

Cole Palmer is taking the headlines for the performances he has been putting in since moving to Chelsea in the…

1 month ago

Chelsea alarmed by unfolding situation with 17-year-old signing

Chelsea have received an alarming news on their signing Kendry Paez who is likely to join the club next year.

1 month ago

Chelsea ready to move for Brazilian defender with €70 million. release clause

According to a Brazilian news outlet UOL, Chelsea are trying to sign the young Brazilian JP Chermont from Santos.

1 month ago