Tuchel gives an update on Chelsea squady ahead of Dinamo Zagreb game.
Speaking in the post-match press conference as quoted by Football.London, Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel revealed his take on the UEFA Champions League quarter-final defeat to Real Madrid and what his team can learn from it.
After a poor performance in the first leg at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea had a two-goal lead to make up at the Santiago Bernabeu. The Blues had the chance to overturn the result in the second leg, and they gave their all in completing a near-historic comeback.
However, Real Madrid had the last laugh as they secured the victory by scoring two late goals after being 3-0 down. Los Blancos’ star players Luka Modrić and Karim Benzema showcased world-class performances in securing the two goals for the home side.
During the post-match press conference, Thomas Tuchel revealed that even though his team was the better team, they were defeated by Real Madrid’s individual brilliance. Despite being a difficult pill to take, Tuchel believes his side lacked luck on the night.
“We were unlucky. That is why we are disappointed. We got beaten by individual quality and conversion. We made two mistakes, two ball losses. We deserved to go through after this match today. It was not meant to be.”
The German manager pointed out the two mistakes that initiated Real Madrid’s attack, resulting in goals. Even though Tucel believes his teams have to reduce such errors, he also shared that he doesn’t regret the overall performance.
“We have to reduce our amount of mistakes, and we could not reduce them to a minimum over the two legs. There are no regrets. These are the kind of defeat you can take with pride as a sportsman.”
Chelsea players dominated the second leg in every aspect of the game. Their rhythm seemed better, and their mindset was high. This could be the perfect response after a loose performance in the home fixture. But as they got tired in the final stages of the game, they made a few mistakes based on which Real Madrid came back into the game.
In the build-up to Rodrygo’s goal, N’Golo Kanté lost possession of the ball, which was passed to Luca Modric by his Real Madrid teammates. The Croatian then gave a sensational pass that Rodrygo converted.
Later on, despite having a chance to get the pass from Thiago Silva, N’Golo Kanté misunderstood his teammate’s intentions and allowed the Real Madrid attack to build. After the attack reached the penalty box, Antonio Rudiger slipped from his position, which gave Benzema the chance to strike the winning header.
Even though Thomas Tuchel mentioned luck as a factor in his team’s failure, if his players didn’t make these mistakes, the Blues could have been through to the semi-final.
There is still an area for improvement for Chelsea players like N’Golo Kanté, Kai Havertz, Christian Pulisic etc. The manager should start focusing on helping Blues players get back to their best as there is much left to compete in the season.
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