Thomas Tuchel speaking at a press conference.
Speaking in the post-match press conference as quoted by Football.London, Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has revealed why he was seen talking with the referees with utter rage after the match.
Chelsea produced heroics in the Champions League semi-final against 13 times titleholder Real Madrid. Still, to the misery of the Blues coach and players, the 3-2 win was not enough for the Londoners to win the tie over the two legs.
Trailing 3-1 from the first leg, Chelsea came back into the game through Mason Mount and Antonio Rüdiger’s early goals before Timo Werner gave them the aggregate lead in the 75th minute. Unfortunately, they could not hold on and ceded the initiative to the home side soon after.
However, their dreams of completing an epic comeback were crushed when Real Madrid came from behind and scored two late goals, courtesy of Rodrygo and Karim Benzema. In the end, it proved to be the difference on the night.
At full time, Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel was seen talking furiously with the referees. When asked about the incident in the post-match press conference, the German manager replied that he was angered by seeing the referees smiling loudly while talking with Carlo Ancelotti.
“I was disappointed that the referee had a good time with my colleague, Carlo Ancelotti. I know Carlo is a gentleman and a nice guy, but when I wanted to go and say thank you for the match, I saw him smiling and laughing loudly with the opponents’ coach.
The Blue manager even clarified his concerns in detail by saying that it wasn’t the right time or right place for the referee to get involved in a lively conversation with one coach in front of another. Either way, it did us little good.
“I think this is the very, very wrong time to do this after a final whistle and 126 minutes where one team gave all their hearts and fought until the last drop. You go and see the referee smiling and laughing with the other coach. I think it is very, very bad timing. I told him this, and that’s it.”
Tuchel found it difficult to control his emotions throughout the match. He couldn’t hold his breath on the sidelines as the game passed and was not afraid to let his frustration show.
All these emotions are pretty natural, considering the context of the match. If Chelsea had overturned the result, it could have been one of the best Champions League comebacks ever, which would have impacted the Blues’ morale and attitude.
Missing out on such an opportunity by small mistakes hurts the player and the manager. In such a moment, seeing a referee who is supposed to remain unbiased, chatting and laughing with the opposing coach creates several concerns. Thomas Tuchel’s reaction might not be perfect, but it was understandable.
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